Anavatos, Greece Travel Photos
June 17, 2009
Anavatos, Greece - A National Monument
Anavatos lying in the center of the west side of the island of Chios, over the Aegean coastline and constructed on the top of a steep inaccessible rock –offering a natural fortification- in a way that from a distance one can hardly indicate the man-made from the natural environment, the impressive medieval village of Anavatos, probably built for defense reasons during the middle Byzantine era, can be reached going west 23 km far from the town of Chios.
The first settlement was safely situated on the top of the rocky hill (approximately 450 meters above the sea level), formatting an outer circular fortalice with the outer thick walls of the houses (called “Kastro”), accessible only from the northeast slope by a difficult narrow up-going path. During the end of the Genoese occupation (1346-1566), the settlement expanded outside the castle walls, covering the ground alongside the existing path. This part of the settlement, “Mesochori”, as long as the castle area too, were completely abandoned and transformed into ruins as a consequence of the notorious massacre by the Ottomans in 1881. Survivors returned and leaving the older ruined constructions unrepaired, created a new settlement known as the “New Village” as well as the new “Church of taxiarhis” at the beginning of the path, the one that is still inhabited by a few households even nowadays.
Situated in the upper castle area and over-looking the village, the old church of “Taxiarhis of the Castle” (partially build over village domed houses) and the three-leveled building of the “The church of Panagia” (uses as a school and water reservoir in the middle and as olive press facility in the lower level) are the bigger and more impressive buildings of the whole settlement.
Small stone-built units, mostly one or two-storied, vaulted with characteristically small arched openings and no foundations, as the walls were straight built on the rocky surfaces, gives visitors a good idea of how medieval everyday life, villages and houses were organized and built under difficult circumstances.
The village of Anavatos is, since 2001, characterized as a National Monument and is under the supervision of the Greek Ministry of Culture.
Since 2005, funded by the 3rd Community Support Framework, restoration works under the supervision and conduction of the Greek Ministry of Culture and the Finance Management Fund for Archaeological Projects (F.M.F.A.P.) are being carried out focusing in the central “Mesochori” area only. The project is financed by the Regional Operational Programme of North Aegean Region at the sum of € 2.500.000 for the period 2005-2008. The project started the summer of 2006 and concludes in December 2008. The programmed master plan is organized in order to promote and designate the archaeological site of Anavatos.
On the site there is also a place where you can eat or have a drink. I don't know the opening and closing time.
The first settlement was safely situated on the top of the rocky hill (approximately 450 meters above the sea level), formatting an outer circular fortalice with the outer thick walls of the houses (called “Kastro”), accessible only from the northeast slope by a difficult narrow up-going path. During the end of the Genoese occupation (1346-1566), the settlement expanded outside the castle walls, covering the ground alongside the existing path. This part of the settlement, “Mesochori”, as long as the castle area too, were completely abandoned and transformed into ruins as a consequence of the notorious massacre by the Ottomans in 1881. Survivors returned and leaving the older ruined constructions unrepaired, created a new settlement known as the “New Village” as well as the new “Church of taxiarhis” at the beginning of the path, the one that is still inhabited by a few households even nowadays.
Situated in the upper castle area and over-looking the village, the old church of “Taxiarhis of the Castle” (partially build over village domed houses) and the three-leveled building of the “The church of Panagia” (uses as a school and water reservoir in the middle and as olive press facility in the lower level) are the bigger and more impressive buildings of the whole settlement.
Small stone-built units, mostly one or two-storied, vaulted with characteristically small arched openings and no foundations, as the walls were straight built on the rocky surfaces, gives visitors a good idea of how medieval everyday life, villages and houses were organized and built under difficult circumstances.
The village of Anavatos is, since 2001, characterized as a National Monument and is under the supervision of the Greek Ministry of Culture.
Since 2005, funded by the 3rd Community Support Framework, restoration works under the supervision and conduction of the Greek Ministry of Culture and the Finance Management Fund for Archaeological Projects (F.M.F.A.P.) are being carried out focusing in the central “Mesochori” area only. The project is financed by the Regional Operational Programme of North Aegean Region at the sum of € 2.500.000 for the period 2005-2008. The project started the summer of 2006 and concludes in December 2008. The programmed master plan is organized in order to promote and designate the archaeological site of Anavatos.
On the site there is also a place where you can eat or have a drink. I don't know the opening and closing time.
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