Tour 6 - Northern Naxos

Panagia Drossiani

The early iconostasis of the church was made of marble. A wooden one was later found behind it, when the first was pulled down. It measures 3.30m by 0.205m by 0.085m. It is made of heavy wood, probably chestnut tree wood. It is decorated with an ancient style relief tendril. Its stem traces out wide waves and has big grapes and strange twin vine leaves, which remind us of the Mycenean shields.

In the middle there is a circle with a cross within it and flowers on either side. Two bunches of grapes with three grapes each begin from the center of the cross. The tendrils begin from the bottom of the circle. The empty spaces between the waves of the stem are successively covered with:

two twin leaves, one on top of the other, and big grapes,
two twin leaves, two smaller ones on the left and a flower similar to the one in the middle of the circle and
two twin leaves with a vertical stem, a flower on the left and two twin leaves with a horizontal stem.

The decoration on the right of the cross is similar, but there is an animal figure instead of a flower near the leaves with the vertical stem. So we don't get a totally typical proportion.

Tour 1 - Naxos Town

the medieval castle and the churches of naxos town

Ruins of a huge ancient temple, traces of a Monian settlement and inumerous archaeological finds. Approaching the island by boat, the visitor will see two small islands to the left and right of the harbor, one with the little church of Myrtidiotissa, and the other called Palatia which is linked to Naxos Town ...
naxos town, the port, portara, grotta

Tour 2 - Naxos Town castle and churches

military and religious naxos town

An impressive medieval castle, several old and more recent churches, traditional chapels, monasteries and fountains. The impressive medieval castle of Naxos Town has protected it for decades against pirate invasions. Today, the castle includes lovely shops and taverns and hosts concerts and art events ...
crispi - glezos tower, churches, catholic cathedral

Tour 3 - The countryside of Naxos

the scenic and lush countryside of naxos

High mountains that form lush valleys of olive groves and vineyards in between. The scenery in the countryside outside Naxos town is very beautiful; there are picturesque little villages scattered high up in the mountains or down in the valleys, with an abundant supply of water and lush vegetation ...
countryside, villages, secluded beaches, towers

Tour 4 - Central villages

the central villages of naxos

At the point where the road forks away to the southern part of the island lies Tripodes or Vivlos, with the windmills that are so characteristic of the Cyclades. The next village is Ano Sagri, situated on a hillside and commanding a splendid view ...
tripodes, sagri, filoti, apeiranthos

Tour 5 - Mountainous Naxos

from apeiranthos to the emery mines of moutsouna

Amongst the area's sights the Church of the Apeirathitissa Panagia, with its sculpted marble screen, and the Churches of Theoskepasti, Ag. Ioannis Theologos and the oldest of all, Ag. Paraskevi, located a little outside the village, are all worthy of mention ...
apeiranthos, zevgoli's tower, moutsouna, kouros of melanes

Tour 6 - Northern Naxos

exploring the northern side of naxos

The next place along the way is Kinidaros, a village with plentiful supply of water and renowned for its excellent singers, its feasts and festivals. To the south lies Moni, with the monastery from which it takes its name lying just outside the village ...
kinidaros, koronos, koronida, apollonas, kouros of apollonas

Tour 7 - Southern Naxos

the most magnificent beaches of naxos

From the nearby village of Gallini a road leads up to the Monastery of the Sublime Virgin, which is known as the Angelakopoulos Tower after the name of its last owner. One of the most notable buildings on the island, it lies not far from the sea in the valley of Engares. Originally, as the marble plaque at the entrance tells us ...
monasteries, lush valleys, amazing beaches