KOLOUMBOS
The other volcano of Santorini, the crater of which is underwater. Its distance from Fira is about 20km. The volcano’s eruption on 1650 A.D. was quite strong. It was accompainied by earthquakes, tidal waves, and poisonous gases. Areas near Perissa and Kamari were flooded, and ancient ruins came to the surface when the waters receded. The sound of the explosion was heard at Chios, and the coasts of Asia Minor were covered by a thin layer of ash. The tidal wave reached Crete. The explosion period was called the “Bad Time” by the inhabitants. When peace and quiet were reestablished, the locals built the church of Panaghia tou Kalou (“Virgin of the Good”)on the Koloumba site. In the cape area there are images carved on the rocks, They are the so-called “cells”. These images, carved on the rocks, ars inscriptions with the names of gods and heroes, and are characteristic of Santorini. An extended beach, perfect for enjoying the sea, starts from Cape Kolumbo and continues till Cape Exomytis. As an indication we’ll mention the Pori, Kanakari, and Exo Yalou beaches and other areas.
MONOLITHOS
This typical village of Santorini is near the island’s airport. It lies about 7km. from Fira. An organized beach is in operation there.
KARTERADOS
The village is east of Fira, at a distance of less than 2km. The architecture of the village’s houses is interesting. The church of Analipsis is worth seeing.
MESARIA
The village is about 4km. distant from Fira, to the S.E. This beautiful village of Santorini is surrounded by vineyards and gardens. Mesaria is a production center of the famous Santorinian wine. The village churches of Metamorphosis tou Soteros and Aghia Irini were built between 1680 and 1700.
VOTHONAS
A village near Fira. The “dug” houses of the village are interesting, as well as the churches of Aghia Triada, Aghia Anna, and Panaghia, which was built on 1700. The church is “dug” at a height of about 20 meters from the ground, on a raised parapet called “tra-fos”. It was used as a shelter by the people of Vothonas during attacks by pirates. After the people had climbed on the parapet, they pulled the wooden ladder. The twenty meters that separated them from the ground provided ample protection. The church is also known under the name Panaghia i Trypa (Virgin of the Crypt).
KAMARI
A modern tourist village, continually evolving. About 10km. distant from Fira in a S.W. direction. A sight of the village is the church of Myrtidiotissa. Many ancient artifacts have been found in the area. Ancient Oia, the port of the ancient capital of Thera, was here. A road connects Kamari with the archaeological site of ancient Thera. The area has a beach many kilometers long. It is made of black sand and pebbles. The enjoyment of sun and sea has no limits.
EPISKOPI
In the area of the village Mesa Gonia, which is about 6km. distant from Fira and very near Kamari, Epis- kopi Gonias, a church dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin, is located. The church is of the Byzantine style, cross-shaped, with a cupola and ante-temple. It was built in the end of the 11th century, with all expenses paid by the Byzantine emperor Alexios Komnenos. Large tracts of land were given to the church by imperial warrant.Today, the building we see is altered by additions. Certain ex-amples of Byzantine hagiography of the 11th century have been preserved on the arches of the church. The marble screen of the temple is intact. The church was the seat of the bishop of Thera. After the island was occupied by the Venetians on 1207, the Orthodox bishop was driven out, and the expulsion was followed by the installation of a Catholic bishop. When Santorini was occupied by the Turks on 1537, a new dispute started between Catholics and Orthodox. The long clash between the two docrines caused the intervention of the Patriarch of Constantinople. The Orthodox Patriarch, with the Turkish Sultan concurring, ceded the possession of the temple to the Orthodox, and divided the property of the church equally among the two docrines. The Patriarchal decision of 1614 ended the clash and restored peace among the two Christian communities and the clergy that represented them.
PYRGOS
Located 8km. south of the town of Fira. The castle is built on the top of a round hill. The imposing settlement with its white picturesque buildings was the capital of the island till 1800. Tradition says that Pyrgos was one of the settlements of ancient Thera. Ruins of the medieval Venetian castle are preserved in the middle of the village. On top of the hill is the so-called Kasteli, which, with its beautiful view and its formation, is recommended for relaxation. The church of Theotokos, also called Theotokaki, a 10th century building, is also at Pyrgos. The chapel is the oldest medieval building of the area. The churches of the area are many, and all are of some interest, especially those built before 1650, as Aghia Theodosia, Taxiarchis Michael, and other saints of the Orthodox Church. A country infirmary is also there.
PROFITIS ILIAS MONASTERY
The monastery of Profitis Ilias is located on the peak of the mountain of the same name, at a height of 550 meters. The monastery’s construction was started on 1771 by the monks Joacchin and Gabriel. The two monks with the permission and the help of the bishop of Thera, Zacharias, managed to obtain the sanCtion of the Patriarch of Constantinople, Cyril, to build the monastery. So, the newly founded monastery came under the spiritual protection of the Patriarchate and was titled a “Patriarchal Monastery”. The building we see today is larger than the original. The monastery took its present form in the middle of the 19th century, when the King of Greece, Othon, visited Santorini. Othon was charmed by the landscape and urged that the monastery be expanded. The museum of the monastery is rich in ecclesiastical articles of inestimable value. Excepting the holy relics there, there are icons of the 15-18 centuries, gold-adorned vestments, the diamond-adorned mitre of the Patriarch Gregory E’, silver- bound Scriptures, an iron cross of the 12th century (it is said that this cross was used by the Crusaders) and wood-carved ecclesiastical asterpieces.The library of the monastery is impressive. It contains leatherbound books, hand-written Codexes, and various other ecclesiastical documents in many languages, as the five tomes of the New and Old Testament written by a son of Philip B’ of Spain in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. The leather-bound books alone number over 1200. The wood-carved temple screen of the church is impressive, as is the bell of the monastery. The monastery also contains a Folk Museum. This museum exhibits the tools of the various trades that the monks and the people of the island practiced. Complete workshops of the past century, fully equipped, seem to be waiting for the candle-maker, the barrel-builder, the blacksmith and the cobbler to start sweating in front of the bellows or the bench with the leather skins. The private Nomikos collection, which is housed in the Monastery, includes embroidery, woven articles, and porcelain. The spiritual contribution of the monastery was limited, though, and cannot be compared to the activities of other monasteries. The only spiritual institution established by this monastery was son e school in Pyrgos.
PERISSA
A seaside settlement with a magnificent and interminable beach. The dark sea and the surrounding green make it one of the most beautiful on the island. The rocky bulk of Mesa Vouno, the remainder of ancient Aigiis, rises east of the village. One of the island’s larges churches, if not the largest Timios Stavros (“Holy Cross”) is located in Perissa. On the S.E coast, not far from the village, is the monastery of Perissa. It is a 19th century building and has five-domed church, the monastery was built on the ruins of the old church of Aghia Irini, which, it is believed, had given the island its name. But Aghia Irini itself had been built on the ruins of another, older church.