During the Byzantine era and later during the Frankish occupation, the coasts of Aegean suffered from pirate raids. To protect them selves from this threat, the islanders, especially, built or moved their settlements to inaccessible spots and fortified them for even grater security.
They also constructed watchtowers at high places, a kind of distance early warning system. In Santorini of 17th century there were 5 such fortified settlements, the so-called castles. The most important, thanks largely to its position, was at Skaros , which was simply called “The Castle” or just “Kastro” in Greek. Its 200 houses were perched on the summit of a steep, well defended rocky promontory. A large bell, which was hung at the top of the rock, warned the inhabitants of impending danger. Skaros was where the Latin lords, island officials and Catholic archbishop resided; it was the medieval capital of Santorini.
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Santorini general information |
The singular topography of Santorini has contributed decisively to the evolution of its special indigenous architecture. Its characteristic architectural style, although belonging general to the architecture of Aegean, has developed and at the same time projected many individual features and forms that show particular plasticity.
And this because it has exploited the unusual landscape and possibilities of the place.
The construction materials used by the local craftsman in building are exclusively volcanic in origin. They include black stone, red stone, pumice, lava, ash and pozzuolana. Houses roofed with cylindrical or cross vaults and houses dug out of the vertical face of the lava cliffs are the principal building types on Santorini. The dugout structure illustrates the ingenuity of the locals in the search for easy, inexpensive housing. The vaulting is the consequence of the need for a substitute for wood, which is nonexistent on Santorini.
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The architecture of churches |
The churches of Santorini, although very much a part of the island's cubist architecture style, show a Western influence in their relatively large size. The volcano's eruptions and the catastrophic earthquakes that shattered the island from time to time strengthened the religious fervour of the locals, which intensified when they were confronted with Catholicism during the Frankish occupation.
Thus, before the 1956 earthquake, the island boasted 250 churches. Most of those that have survived are one-aisled basilica type with dome, while others are cruciform in shape with dome. The dome, which may be white or blue, is frequently ridged than smooth. Sometimes, it is capped by a lantern, a clearly Renaissance touch.
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