Did you know these things about Chios !!!!!
– The 5th largest island of Greece,
– 3rd in sunshine and 1st in clear days,
– 91 beaches
– 64 villages
– 91 out of the 108 orchids of Europe grow in Chios.
– The Holy Apostles in Pyrgi are an exact replica of Agia Eirene in Constantinople
– The tulips in South Chios decorate the island’s fields every March.
– Rocket War at Easter. Famous and explosive on the night of the Resurrection. The parishes of St. Mark and the Virgin Mary Erythiani in Vrontados celebrate the Resurrection of Christ like nowhere else.
– Painted village (Pyrgi). The only one in Greece.
– Nea Moni, along with the Monastery of Osios Loukas in Boeotia and the Daphni Monastery, are the only Byzantine monasteries in Greece that are preserved in good condition. The mosaics of Nea Moni Chios are one of the top three artistic creations in the Greek space during the Middle Ages. Celebrated during the feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos (23 August). In 1990, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The artists who worked here were from Constantinople, who came directly from the City and brought their style with them, similar to that which decorated the imperial palaces and has now been lost.
– 10th largest island in the Mediterranean
– The volcanic beaches of Emporios. Visitors have the opportunity to swim or simply enjoy 3 beaches (Mavra Volia) that are the result of volcanic eruptions in historical times.
– Christopher Columbus passed by Chios and took Chiot sailors and cartographers for his explorations. According to some, he has origins from the island. Many families in Pyrgi bear his surname.
– Three great, and according to some, revolutionary personalities from the world of letters were born in Chios (Korais, Psycharis, Souris). Other notable figures from the world of arts and sciences: Emmanuel Roidis, Fotis Kontoglou, Nikos Yialouris (painter), Stamatis Krimizis (physicist), Dimos Avdeliodis (director), Matthaios Tsahourides
– The only frontier island of Greece that is so close to Turkey’s 3rd largest city, Smyrni. It is also just 7 km away from ancient Ionia.
– The wine of North Chios was called by the ancients, nectar of the gods (Ariousios Wine).
– 250 mansions built with Thymian stone are preserved in the Kampos area of Chios. An area 10 km long and 3 km wide.
– Most of Greece’s shipping families originate from Chios (Livanos, Chandris, Lo, Lemos, Andreadis, Patsos, Pateras, Fafalios, Tsakos, Fragos, Xylas, and others).
– The countryside of Chios is compared to that of Tuscany, Italy.
– Mikis Theodorakis and Andreas Papandreou were born in Chios.
– First mint in Greece in antiquity
– First form of Democracy even before that of Solon.
– Great variety and richness in the local costumes of each village, even neighboring ones
– Mastic
– Popular expressions for Chios in antiquity: Chiot life (Chiot tables, Chia life, Chios laughter)
– Population in Chios until the 18th century 120,000 inhabitants
– According to one version, Chios is the birthplace of Homer as well as the mathematicians Hippocrates and Oenopides.
– The Public Historical Central Library of Chios “Korais” on the island of Chios is one of the most important in Greece (3rd in size). Its collection includes about 250,000 volumes.
– Chios has a completely different architecture from north to south, and the only part of it that architecturally resembles the Cyclades (all buildings white) is the coastal settlement of Agia Fotini or Agia Fotia.
– Chios is surrounded by the sister islands Oinousses and Psara, from where Konstantinos Kanaris, a hero of the 1821 revolution for the independence of Greece, originated.
– Chios maintains special bonds with Syros of the Cyclades, and Ermoupolis was built by affluent Chians, people of letters, and merchants who found a hospitable second homeland there after the massacre of 1822.
– Another name for Chios was Pityousa, probably because of the many pines that were particularly in the northern part of it. Another name was Ariousa from the “arion
” tree, which is a type of oak – holm oak. The oaks (oaks) covered a large part of northwestern Chios …….!!!!!
