Paros

1982 - 2005

The first time we came to Paros was in 1982, refugees from an infernal heat wave in Crete. We found its inhabitants lovable and soft-spoken, and Paroikia a charming town of many churches wafting with incense on Sunday morning. We rented a huge, sagging bed in the livingroom of a lady on the highest floor of the old acropolis of Paroikia (pronounced Parikia), the Chora of Paros. This photo shows the entertaining view from a small balcony attached to our window. The boats were so huge that they seemed to land in our room on the second floor. The neighborhood was crowded with flower children, who ran more or less dressed from their rooms below us to the bathroom. "Oh," said our laidback landlord, "our Zoo! Do you really like these girls?" His wife was more practical. "Please treat the bed with consideration. It is a little creaky, and the last couple who stayed here were very active and nearly broke the mattress." - Later during our stay the wind became strong and rattled the window shutters all night. (1982)

The Stones of Greece! The Venitians who built the Castro in Paroikia helped themselves to what building material they found in the classical ruins. An archeologist working on the Paros Cathedral told me once that there they had identified marbles from no less than 26 greek temples built into the walls. - The cathedral was built in the 4th-6th century (the castro later). What flourishing (late) classical Greek community supported 26 temples here? Was it the Parian marble which made them rich? - A puzzle which I have not been able to solve yet.

Sunset behind the Church of the Aghii Konstantinos and Helena.

However the nicest aspect of our quartier was that one could walk on the roofs from one house to the next into the sunset. The Church stands where the main temple of the classical acropolis had stood, Apollo and Artemis ? Now the church is dedicated oi Aghioi the Emperor Konstantinos and his wife Helena. A curious and famous pair, of whom Byzantine history reports that she was Konstantin's mother, lover, and later wife ! Saints, both! You figure that out. - Byzantine, but true! (1982)

Barbara 1982 reading in the "Exonarthex" of the Church of Konstantin and Helena, a wonderfully cool and airy place with a view across the sea.

The Moni of the Aghioi Anargyroi above Paroikia

From our balcony one could see a white-washed complex clinging to the moutain side high above town. Our landlady told us that it was an abandoned monastery dedicated to the Aghioi Anargyroi, Kosmas and Damianos, the successors to Castor and Pollux, the Heavenly Twins of Classical times:... We walked up (45 min! These days I take a taxi up and walk down) and discovered another secret place. The view is breathtaking and the small church has a wonderful acoustics

Barbara in the Tibetan hat on the wall of Aghii Anargyroi. The hat, bought in Lhasa, shows that this photo was taken on our fourth visit to Paros in 1996. We took all our friends up there, just to spend the day. In those years there existed no caretaker at the moni, now a young church man drives up for part of the day - and the gate is locked at other times (but one could slip in above the church). However then one misses the impromptu vespers the man sang for us in the church. With a beautiful voice, very moving. (1996)

Paroikia from the Moni of the Heavenly Twins. This panoramic view can be greatly expanded, click on the image. The nearest beach to town is in the bay in the distance.

The church of the Anargyroi has been cleaned recently (white-washed) and new icons have been installed in 1999.

The East Coast

The best beaches of Paros are around Naoussa in the northeast) - which exposes them to the often cold meltemi wind. Naoussa is populated by young beachniks - I have been there only once briefly - but Peter Grohs loved it. We went further southeast to Piso Livada (shown here) and to Logara (writtwen Lonkara), a small beach from where this photo was taken. These palces are not crowded and offer the shade of some trees. From Paroikia take the bus to Naoussa and towards "Golden Beach". - The interior of Paros is not as beautiful as that of Naxos nor are there as many hikes as in Naxos or Amorgos. There is one pretty, white town, Lefkas, on the alternative road from Piso Levadia to Paroikia (i.e. not via Naoussa). We would usually jump a bus on the way back to visit Lefkas. (see map )...

The point south of Longara Beach. In the background, across the sea, are the beaches south of Aghios Prokopios on Naxos. For people who want to lie on a sandy beach - without the beachnik scene - Naxos is far better than Paros. (1996)

Paroikia

Paroikia's shops possess a quiet sophistication of their own, which is missing in Naxos Town - and is replaced by a heavy-handed, expensive taste (especially in jewelery) in Santorini or Mykonos. But the secret of Paroikia is the Church of Panaghia Ekaton-ta-Pyliani (of the Hundred-Doors). (2004)

The Byzantine Church of Ekatontapyliani

See: http://www.ekatontapyliani.org/index.html

The Panaghia Ekatontapyliani (Mother of God of the Hundred Doors) is one of the oldest, Byzantine churches in Greece maybe even the oldest! Extensiv archeological work during the past 20 years has revealed that a first church, dedicated to St. Nikolas was built in 326 AD during the time of Emperor Justinian with and inside the ruins of an Artemis temple - 211 years before the Aghia Sofia in Constantinople (537 AD). Of this first church the baptistery (separate building) and the nave and apse with a bishop's throne, the left side nave of the present church, are extant. Legend has it that the Byzantine Empress, Saint Helena (6th century AD) brought one of the architects of the Aghia Sofia to Paros to erect the present cathedral filling the space between the two older buildings. Its grand-style architecture - provincial Byzantine churches are usually low, dark mole hills - seems to confirm this story. Like in the Aghia Sophia the 6th century addition is heavily indebted to architectural pieces taken from 26 different classical temples - about which little seems to be known.

The baptismal font in the Baptisterion is the oldest such baptistry (326 AD) preserved in the Orthodox East. Over the entrance door (coming from the church) a 12th-century fresco was recovered (badly preserved and hard to see).

The rare Synthronon (seat of the bishop and the church council) in the apse (behind the original iconostasis) in the Agh. Nicholaos church (4th century). (1996)

View of the iconostasis and the Byzantine chandelier in the nave of the main church. (560 AD). Below the present floor a Roman mosaic of the Labors of Hercules was found during the latest restauration (now in the archeological museum) (2004)

Byzantine chandelier and the cross on top of the iconostasis. Notice the colored lime-stone masonry of the roof tonneau and the large tetramorphs in the four corners. Tetramorphs of this size only occur in the spherical triangles over the four support columns in the Aghia Sofia in Constantinople.

The cross-deesis in the iconostasis - a work of the 17th century. The Turks were no maritime power. Pirates ruled the Aegeais after 1452. Because of their murderous raids the coastal towns in the islands were essentially deserted during the late middle ages. Only in the 17th-18th century under Venitian and Genovese protection life slowly returned to Paroikia.

Hidden underneath layers of plaster frescoes depicting the Feast Days (late 17th cent) were recently found in the apse (behind the iconostasis)

The pulpit painted with the four Evangelists (late 17th cent) (2005)

Like in Islam today women (as well as infidels, like Roman Catholics) were excluded from religious services, they had to hide behind curtains in the women's galleries on the second floor, shown here. The architectural elements of the gynaikeon were taken from the classical Greek and Roman tempels of town - except the marble skirts (balustrades and facings) were added, probably in the 17th century.

Together with the baptisterion this is the oldest surviving part of Hekatontapyliadi: the Church of Agh. Nicholas with its own, old iconostasis and the council's seat.

Outside view of the baptisterion and the main nave behind it from the south. The older church had a simple peaked wooden and tiled roof and no copula. (2004)

All packed up - but able to carry everything for a kilometer across any terrain - Barbara is waiting by the windmill in Paroikia for the boat (1996)

The Boat is coming!! (1996)