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SKIATHOS Mpourtzi.

This is a small densely  with pine trees  peninsula in front of the port of Skiathos, which cuts it in half. On the one hand is the commercial harbour and on the other the old port where the small boats, the fishing boats and the small tourist boats dock.In the past, the narrow rocky footpath that connected the peninsula to the town was covered by the sea and the peninsula seemed like an island. Now there is a wide passage.It is called Mpourtzi because in the past it was a fort that was constructed by the Venetians Andreas and Jeremiah Gizi, to protect the town but also as their own residence, when the island was taken over in 1207.It was surrounded by battlements and crenellations, and a tower on each side of the gate. The remains of the walls today do not reveal their height. In the fort there was a church dedicated to Agios Georgios, the patron saint of the Venetians, probably built by the Gizi brothers, and this is why it was also called ôAi GiorgisÆ Castelloö. In 1660, Fragkiskos Morozinis, a Venetian admiral, took over the island from the Turks, destroying the fort. It was re-captured by the Turks, but in 1823 the Skiathans managed to fight off Topaz Pasha through the derelict crenellations. After the liberation, Mpourtzi became the first pest house of the island. In 1906 the primary school of the island was built in the middle of the peninsula, by donation of Andreas Syngros. The statue  of Alex. Papadiamandis is found at its entrance since 1925. Only the walls of the old fort are saved to date, while the old school has been transformed into a Cultural Centre.There is also a Municipal traditional coffee house in operation.

SKIATHOS Alexandros Papadiamantis house.

Alexandros Papadiamantis, the famous scholar, prose writer, novelist, was born on Skiathos. Through his works he belauded life, customs and traditions of the residents of Skiathos . The house where he was born on 4 March 1851 in the town of Skiathos does not exist any more, as it was demolished by its buyers. The new house, an old manor house made from stone and wood, where Papadiamantis grew up and died, was built in 1860 by his father, as an inscription on the wall mentions, and it is a classic example of island architecture. The initial planning of the house has been retained to date and it operates as a museum. Unique Skiathan relics are on display, together with many of the personal items of the great Skiathan prose writer, such as his ink bottle, his coffer and his bed. The house is very close to the port, about 100 m from the eastern beach of the town and on a narrow dead-end street.The old western entrance is closed. An external wooden staircase on the eastern side leads the visitors inside the house, which has two floors, upstairs and downstairs. Upstairs, a long and narrow entrance leads to three rooms. In the one on the left, with the fireplace, Papadiamantis spent the last months of his life. Above the fireplace, two small shelves still bear the mugs and cups of the island. The small room on the right was where Papadiamantis father, Pater Adamantios, kept his canonicals and his books.There is only a window, a bed and a small locker embedded into the wall, and it seems more like a monks cell. Papadiamantis himself later used it as an office and a bedroom. Exactly opposite the entrance is the living room of the house with coloured diamonds on the ceiling. Downstairs is open-plan with a well in the middle. Today, it is an exhibition area and a library with the most important works of the Skiathian prose writer.

The Castle, the old Castle-town of Skiathos.

The Castle is the most important historical place on Skiathos. It is an hour's drive from the town, but the road stops a little way from the castle, so you will need to walk. It was the capital of Skiathos in the Middle Ages and it was founded around the middle of the 19th century when the Skiathans were forced to abandon the ancient town of Skiathos due to the continuous pirate raids, and moved towards the northern part of the island to build the Castle-town. Although, the raids of the Saracenes and other pirates had made the life of the residents unbearable, the castle was a safe refuge due to its natural entrenchment. This natural fort literally hangs over the sea as it is built on an imposing rock with a panoramic view. A very high wall with crenellations and canons, mainly facing towards the land, fortified the castle even more. Communication of the fort with land was made via a wooden drawbridge that connected the gate of the fort to the hill opposite. In cases of emergency, it was drawn inside the castle, thus preventing the entrance of the enemy. In front of the entrance, there was an archway and above a small tower and a terrace with crenellations and the scorcher. Inside the Castle the life of the residents was very difficult because apart from the pirates they also had to face the problem of a lack of space. Thus, the houses were small and built very close to each other. However, there were about 300 houses and more than 200 chapels, as well as a mosque without a minaret during Turkocracy.From its foundation to 1453 it was governed by Byzantium. Then, until 1538, by the Venetians (and also for a short period around 1660) and until 1821 by the Turks. With the foundation of the Independent Hellenic State, the Castle was completely abandoned, since the about 1500 residents went back down towards the sea and re-built the old town using materials from the castle, thus deserting the old city even quicker. Today, there are remains of some houses, 3 churches (Christ, Agia Marina, Agios Nikolaos), a part of the wall with the Gate, the terrace with the scorcher, the semi-demolished minaret and some ruins of the Turkish command centre. Also, 2 water tanks and the canon of Anagkia. Here at the Castle, battles against the Turks were fought that are described in a colorful way by Alexandros Papadiamantis in his novels.

SMALL ISLANDS AROUND SKIATHOS...

Paradises only a breath away.... Near Skiathos there are a number of larger and smaller islands, the two other inhabited and beautiful islands of the Northern Sporades group, Skopelos and Alonnisos ( Alonissos ) and the other smaller uninhabited islands .. Tsougkrias is a paradise island with a wonderful coastline full of lacy beaches and Tsougkriaki, Aspronisi, Maragkos, Arkos (Arkonissos) with the golden sand that starts from high up on a hill and comes down till the waves at Arkos the most in parties are hold during Summer time Kastronissia, Troulonissia, Mirmigkonissia , Prassonissi , the rock island Repi (Repion) with its lighthouse that you meet on the way to Skopelos & Alonnissos and others...

Skiathos monastery of Evangelism - Evangelistria Monastery

The monastery of Evangelistria is to the north of the town of Skiathos and about 4 km from the port. If you go by road, you will be there in 10 minutes, while if you decide to do it on foot, the route is very interesting and it will take you about one hour. It is built in such a position that it cannot be seen from anywhere, despite its magisterial size. The all-green surroundings and the wonderful view make the monastery truly blessed. It was founded in 1794 by the Collyvas Mount Athos priest-monk Nifon Hios and Grigorios Hatzistamatis, and it is the only active Monastery on the island. This new post-Byzantine communal Monastery of Evangelistria was built next to the derelict old Evangelism Monastery. It has been Stavropigiaki (in the direct jurisdiction of the Patriarch) since 1797. The construction works finished in 1806 and the Monastery was named New Monastery...This male monastery played an important role in the pre-revolutionary years, as it contributed to the liberating battle against the Turks, tending to the Armatoloi and the Kleftes who reached Skiathos. It also offered shelter to families in need. The historic importance of the monastery for the island of Skiathos is great because the first flag of modern Greece was designed, made and blessed here by priest-monk Nifon; it had the colours of the flag the land forces use today, that is a white cross on a light blue background. Also the Filiki Etaireia members Theodoros Kolokotronis, Giannis Stathas, Papavlahavas and Nikotsaras swore to the oath of Freedom in September of 1807 at the Monastery of Evangelistria. In the beginning it had 65 cells, kitchens, ovens, a dining room, warehouses, a stable, a library, an infirmary and an olive press. After 1850, however, it began to decline and the number of monks was reduced. The surviving main church is of cross-type with three niches, three domes and 2 narthexes, an outer narthex and aisle, and it belongs to the Mount Athos Byzantine time. Important murals from the 18th century are preserved today. It has a small museum in which the visitor can see post-Byzantine icons, Holy Vessels, books, important documents and manuscripts, the silver-bound Evangel of 153 and the letter from Grigorios the 5th. The museum also hosts the relic of the shin bone of Neomartyr Agios Konstantinos Ydraios. The wooden-carved temple is a masterpiece and it is characterized by its fineness and abundance of representations. Flavent tiles and Maltese slabs decorate the floor. The monastery has three chapels: Agios Dimitrios, Timios Prodromos and Zoodohos Pigi. On the fifteenth of August, the epitaph of the Virgin Mary is performed with particular candour, a unique custom that is only found on Skiathos.

Holy protector of Skiathos Island
Monastery of Panagia Eikonistria or Kounistra

It is located 8 km from the town of Skiathos, on the way you pass through a wonderful pine forest. Founded in the 17th century, it is dedicated to the Presentation of Virgin Mary (21 November) is the holy celebration.Next to the Church of the Virgin Mary there is the area called Pefkos tis Panagias (Pine of the Virgin). Folk tradition mentions that the icon of the Virgin Mary was found in the difficult period of Turkocracy, when the priest-monk Symeon, a monk in a Monastery, saw a light shining in the woods one night. He tried many times to go towards the light, but each time the light would vanish. After prayer and fasting he went back to the forest and in the end found the Icon of the Virgin Mary hanging and swinging (Kounistra) from a tall pine tree. A young priest from the pastorate of the Castle managed to get it down.The monastery was built at the place of the finding in 1655, and it was called kounistra either because the icon was swinging on the tree, or because of the name the area had adopted because the trees would often sway in the wind. Another possible explanation is that the icon was found hanging in the tree and it shone like a star, so it was called ikon astria (corrupted to Konistria) Due to the constant pirate raids, the monastery is fortified with embrasures. In 1726 the church was renovated and in 1806 it became Stavropigiako. In the years of the protectorate, it was dissolved, but in 1841 monk Dionyssios renovated it fully. It is a single-aisle Basilica with a dome. Internally, the exceptional hagiographies are from two different periods, 1741 and 1805. The temple is a wooden gold-gilded carving. The Holy Virgin Eikonistria or Kounistra is the patron saint of the island and is celebrated grandly on the Presentation of Holy Mary (21 November). Each year, on the day of the celebration, people gather at the monastery on the eve and spend the night in the courtyard, around blazing fires. On the day of the celebration the icon goes on a round and a procession from the town to the monastery. A procession also takes place on the celebration of the finding of the icon, on the Sunday between 2 and 8 July. The icon was kept in the monastery but now it is in the Metropolitan Church of the Three Hierarchs on Skiathos.