Shorex

CENTRAL CHIOS

ANAVATOS

     North Chios differs greatly from the southern part in respect to physical environment and productivity. Housing communities are small and isolated, and always far from the sea. The houses were roughly built, and the only sign of the Genoese influence, aside from written sources, are the central towers in the villages.
Anavatos, 16 Km from town, is an exception. It has no defense tower and is not mentioned in Genoese sources of information. The village was probably built for defense, as an outlook post over the bare western shores of the island. It is not as old as the medieval villages of southern Chios, it peaked during the later years of the Turkish occupation. The village of Anavatos is built on a conical cliff 450 meters above the sea, with steep sides to the south and west, and with only a single access to the north. The people took advantage of the natural fortification of this cliff, and strengthened it with a circular wall surrounding the houses that seem to be glued, one to the other. Together with the cliff, the village made up the defensive perimeter of the fortress. The 400 houses inside the walls were narrow, and built of gray stone with flat wooden roofs, low doors, tiny arched windows and wooden terraces.The village was abandoned after the horrible slaughters of 1822 and in our days it is a national Monument for all the Chians and Greeks. Although Anavatos is deserted today, as most of the villages of northern Chios, a considerable number of houses still stand, as well as the wonderful "three storey" building where the olive press was housed, the School, the church of Taxiarchi and the Virgin Mary. The site is a unique picture of a ghost town in a wild, imaginative, impressive environment. One can get to Anavatos in 45 minutes following a wonderful road which connects Anavatos with the Town of Chios. There is also a climbing path in the forest which starts from "Provatas" mountain and leads to Anavatos.

AVGONYMA

     On the main road of central-western Chios, after passing Karyes, on our route to the west, in a distance of 16 Km from Chios town, on a rocky hill, there is the graphic village of Avgonyma. The houses are built of stone and the residents are too few. During the sunset, the view of the Aegean sea and of Psara, the medieval observation post and the clean bay of Elinda are unique motives for the modern traveler. These are excellent local delicacies in the village taverns. There is a unique pine-covered forest which is the most important of Chios and which embraces the villages of Avgonyma and Anavatos, the Mystras of Chios.

NEA MONI

The Nea Moni Monastery was built in the 11^th century (around 1042 – 1056) and was dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.  It covers an area of approximately 17,000 m² and is located in the central region of the island of Chios.  The buildings comprising the Nea Moni Monastery include the main church (catholicon), 2 smaller churches, a table or trapeza which was the monks’ dining area, the monks’ quarters (kelia) and underground tanks (kinsternes) that were built to collect water.  In the northwest corner of the Monastery, there stands a strong defensive tower.  A tall, stone-wall surrounds the complex of the Monastery. According to monastic tradition, the Emperor Constantine Monomachos founded the Monastery to repay three Chian monks for predicting that his banishment to Lesvos was temporary and he would eventually return to the throne.  The three monks discovered the miraculous Icon of the Virgin Mary hanging on a branch of myrtle at the Monastery’s current location.  This was where they originally built the small church with a few quarters.  The Emperor Monomachos provided the Monastery with property and revenues, something that was often very unusual for the Byzantine financial system.  The Nea Moni Monastery became one of the wealthiest and most well known monasteries in the Aegean.  This prosperity continued until the Turks occupied the island in 1822 and looted the Monastery, henceforth the beginning of its financial decline. The main church or catholicon is located in the central point of the Monastery.  It is comprised of a main church, the esonarthex and the exonarthex.  The architecture of the main temple is the well known “island” octagonal type.  The only examples of this architecture in existence today are in Chios and Cyprus. The mosaics of the Nea Moni Monastery date back to the 11^th century and comprise a portion of the Monastery’s dowry.  Today, it is one of the three remaining collections left in Greece of the mid-Byzantine period and it remains in relatively good condition. Key characteristics of the technique used to create these mosaics pertain to the dramatic expressions and monastic simplicity in its entirety.  The golden background occupies a large portion of the surface drawings and as the light reflects on it, it enhances the transcendency of the depictions and shapes as if they are moving on a superior and spiritual world.  Their exquisite quality in addition to the fact that they comprise the work of artists directly connected with the imperial workshops in Constantinople, place them amongst the most significant creations of Byzantine art. The Monastery is listed in the monuments protected by UNESCO’s World Heritage.

Duration 4 hours. Book your exclusive tour with chiostours.gr

Port of Chios.