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Celebrations of the churches |
Here are some of the local celebrations of the churches (panigiria) taking place in Santorini :
- July 1st at the church of Agioi Anargyri in Megalochori.
- July 21st at the Monastery of Prophitis Ilias in Pyrgos, on the top of the mountain Prophitis Ilias.
- July 24th at the church of Agios Ioannis in Monolithos, just behind the airport.
- August 15th at the church of Episkopi in Kamari, also in Akrotiri and in many other churches all over Santorini.
- August 4th at the church of Agioi Paides in Oia; people go there only by boat, because that very picturesque church has been built at the bottom of caldera riffs, just at the level of sea in the area between Imerovigli and Oia.
- August 29th in the church of St. Ioannis in Perissa.
- September 24th at the church Panagia Mirtidiotissa in Kamari.
- February 1st in the church Ipapanti in Oia.
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As in all the Cycladic islands, Santorini is literally full of churches and chapels. It is estimated that nowadays there are approximately 250 churches all over the island; some major ones are the following:
Panagia Episkopi
Panagia Episkopi is a very beautiful Byzantine church, located in the village Mesa Gonia (also know as Episkopi Gonia). It is a great example of typical Cycladic ecclesiastical architecture. Built in the 11th Century by Emperor Alexios A' Komninos, Panagia Episkopi is dedicated to Virgin Mary (Panagia=Virgin Mary in Greek), it is a very important monument of that era and still houses the icon of Panagia Glikofilousa, one of the most valuable icons in Greece.
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In Santorini there are the following monasteries :
- The monastery of Prophetis Ilias : It is located above the village of Pyrgos, on the top of the mountain Prophitis Ilias and it was built during the 18th century AD. Apart from the beautiful woodcut temple, this Monastery has a rich collection of important ecclesiastical books and documents.
- Catholic Women Monastery : It is located in Fira, very close to the cable-car station and the Archaeological Museum; in this monasteries there καλόγριες of 12 different nationalities.
- Monastery of Agios Nikolaos : Located on the cliffs of the caldera, between the villages Firostefani and Imerovigli, this monastery was built in 1951. It is dedicated to three saints, St. Panteleimon, Zoodochos Pigi and St. Nikolaos and it also houses a remarkable Byzantine icon of St. Nikolaos.
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