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Nisyros

 





History and Heritage   Nisyros - the ancient monastery of Siones, one of the dependencies of Spiliani, is typical in consisting of a small chapel, modest living quarters and farm buildings in support of a self-sufficient lifestyle through farming
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Nisyros - the inner courtyard of Siones looking through the bell arch of the chapel towards the steps up to the most recent living quarters and the entrance of the older underground rooms now used for agricultural storage
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Nisyros - looking from the inner courtyard towards the main entrance to the Siones complex (the brown door in the centre of image 098)
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Nisyros - the uppermost part of the Siones complex is a single-room living space with original artifacts including the corner fireplace and pestles for grinding.
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Nisyros - the barrel-vaulted church at the old Siones monastery is largely covered in frescoes dating back to its restoration in 1733
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Nisyros - detail of part of the fresco-covered walls in the church at the old Siones monastery
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Nisyros - detail of the vertically arranged fresoes on the main supporting arches in the chapel at Siones
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Nisyros - some of the fresco work on the plaster walls and wooden screens has suffered the ravages of time and protection work has begun, hopefully preparatory to restoration
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Nisyros - the inner courtyard of Siones looking through the bell arch of the chapel towards the steps up to the flat roof and the main entrance to the complex
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Nisyros -  the small simple chapel hidden at the back of one of the houses built into the rocks at the top of the mountain pass, showing the remains of the whitewashing around the entrance arch
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Nisyros - the simple altar in the ancient chapel, with carved stone fragment placed on it
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Nisyros - detail of the carved stone fragment placed on the altar in the ancient chapel at the top of the mountain pass
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Nisyros - high up above main caldera is a small hidden valley with the ancient settlement of Nyfios, thought to date back to occupation from Crete in the Bronze Age.  Like many such settlements it is built into a rocky outcrop to reduce building work and to conserve valuable farmable land
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Nisyros - the entrance to the chapel in the underground complex of Nyfios is, like in many other such chapels, painted in white and marked by a cross
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Nisyros - looking from inside the underground complex at Nyfios, with the mountain slopes of Oros Diavatis in the background
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Nisyros - the chapel at Nifios is very plain and simple with the simple  'iconastasis' lit from behind by a small window
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There are a number of small monasteries and communites in the mountains dating back to ancient times. Siones, with its well preserved frescoes, was restored in 1733. The ancient settlement at Nyfios is thought to date to Bronze-Age Cretan civilisation.
Nisyros - looking along the small, high-level valley towards Nyfios with clear indications of its farming past in the foregound and the large rock on the left middle-ground which has clear marks of roofing joists thought to date to prehistoric settlement
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Nisyros - at the top of the mountain pass between the main caldera 'Lakki' and the smaller Kato Lakki is the remains of an ancient settlement
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Nisyros - the uppermost part of the Siones complex is a single-room living space with original artifacts including the corner fireplace and pestles for grinding - here seen from the 'far end' of the room
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It is probable that the ancient fortress of the Paleocastro dates to at least 1200 BC, some say 4000 BC   Nisyros - in a commanding position looking towards Kos, the massive structure of the ancient fortress of the Paleokastro sits on the top of the shoulder of a hill above the 'new' fortress next to the Spiliani monastery overlooking Mandraki
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Nisyros - the massive structure of the ancient Paleokastro, now undergoing much needed restoration work, sits atop the  terraced fields which symbolise the agricultural wealth which underpinned this early, vigorous civilisation.  Even at this distance the individual building blocks can be clearly seen.
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Nisyros - the main entrance to the Paleokastro is about 10 feet (3 metres) from the top step to the lintel.  Individual blocks are about 2 foot in height, 3 feet wide, up to 8 feet long, and are precision cut to bed together without mortar
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Nisyros - restoration work in progress, showing the construction of the outer walls - parallel walls of large blocks, the gap between filled with stone rubble, the whole about 20 feet thick
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Nisyros - restoration work at the monastery of Armas has preserved this example of storage jars in part of an ancient dwelling built into the rock, maximising cool conditions optimal for conserving food stocks
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Nisyros - single-room dwellings built into terraced fields to maximise agricultural land were still being built in the 20th century - this one in the old village below Nikia clearly dated 1914
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Nisyros - arch carrying water channel over small 'avli' or courtyard in front of a pair of semi-detached one room arched houses built under the terraced fields on the hillside
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Nisyros - inside one of the houses built under the field terraces, looking towards the entrance, the only source of natural light
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Nisyros - part of the now-being-restored Armas monastery showing typical form of construction using shards of terracotta to fill gaps between irregular stones and external flight of steps up to flat roof terrace
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Nisyros - some of the old houses have more than one room going back into the mountainside under field teraces, this one is the middle of 3 rooms looking back towards the entrance to the innermost, a large natural cave going back some 30 metres deep under the fields.
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Nisyros - typical arch construction of old house, in most cases built into agricultural terraces with the 'roof' being part of the field to maximise agricultural productivity and in many cases, as here, built partly onto the front of a cave or into the rock of the mountainside.
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Nisyros - some of the old houses became used for agricultural storage, this one deep under the terracesd fields still has ancient ploughs, one with a wooden cutting edge, the other more modern one with an iron tip to improve its effectiveness
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Nisyros - arch carrying water channel over small 'avli' or courtyard in front of a pair of semi-detached one room arched houses built under the terraced fields on the hillside
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For a good deal of fascinating and useful information on the island's heritage see the book Nisyros: History and Architecture of an Aegean Island
Nisyros - Avlaki, one of two 'harbours' developed for the export of sulphur during the latter part of the 19th Century.  Sulphur, a vital commodity for protection of grapes before harvesting, was brought by a cable system from the crater of the volcano.
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Nisyros - superficially the remains of Nisyros'  industrial past at Avlaki is not unlike the industrial heritage of South and Mid Wales which has recently been recognised as in need of protection as a record for posterity
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Nisyros - the small harbour at Avlaki has been improved and is now used for swimming and the occasional small boat
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Nisyros - sulphur from the crater of the volcano was also taken by a 3 kilometre cable system and exported via the small harbour at Agia Irini where the black volcanic rock-built stockpile areas now contrast starkly with the white and vivid yellow of the sulphur
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Nisyros - the remnants of the black volcanic rock constructions at the sulphur exporting 'harbour' of Agia Irini stand out starkly against the sky and in contrast to the white stockpiles
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Nisyros - old entrance to the monastery of Stavros on the edge of the caldera, not lived in by monks since the 19th Century but still the location of an annual festival  which sees the rest of the island close down for the day on 14 September
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Nisyros - the chapel and the bell tower in Stavros monastery
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Nisyros - the monastery of Diavatis is the highest on the island, tucked just under the top of the highest mountain on the island which bears the same name
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Nisyros - the monastery of Evangelistra, thought to have been built in the early 18th Century, had an important role in the island's history at the time of the Greek War of Independence of 1821
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Nisyros - the old part of the monastery has small, simple cells with external steps up to the flat roofs
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Nisyros - the old entrance to the Stavros monastery
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Nisyros - the chapel and the bell tower in Stavros monastery
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Nisyros - looking through the bell tower at Stavros monastery into the caldera of the volcano with the sulphur-coloured  'Alexandros' explosion vent prominent
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Nisyros - the monastery of Panagia Kira, high on the mountainside above Lies towards Nikia, is a haven of peace and tranquility
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Nisyros - the monastery of Panagia Kira, high on the mountainside above Lies towards Nikia, is a haven of peace and tranquility
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