Anafiotika, the Hidden Island of Athens

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The tiny, scenic vicinity of Anafiotika conscionable supra Plaka and beneath the Acropolis is often overlooked by visitors to Athens and adjacent by immoderate Athenians themselves.

With patches of chill and quiet, Anafiotika is simply a hideaway for astir sixty residents who privation a slower gait of life.

It was built successful the 19th-century by workers from the tiny land of Anafi successful the Cyclades, hence the name. In 1841, King Otto I encouraged workers to spell and assistance alteration the caller superior of autarkic Greece into a modern metropolis and refurbish his palace.

Carpenters and masons from the Cycladic land of Anafi came, on with different workers from the Cyclades. They took implicit the rocky terrain located conscionable beneath the bluish slope of the Acropolis, hastily erecting homes that reminded them of their autochthonal islands.

The archetypal 2 inhabitants were G. Damigos, a carpenter, and M. Sigalas, a operation worker. Soon, workers from different Cycladic islands besides began arriving to the country to enactment arsenic carpenters oregon adjacent chromatic and marble workers. It was a buildings reconstruction play successful Athens arsenic was the epoch pursuing the extremity of King Otto’s reign.

In 1922, immigrants from Minor East besides settled successful Anafiotika, altering the colonisation that had up to that clip been lone from Cycladic islands.

In 1950, portion of this vicinity was destroyed for archaeologic research, and, successful 1970, the authorities started to bargain up houses.

Anafiotika: Whitewashed buildings successful Athens

Today, Anafiotika retains the charm of simple, whitewashed buildings emblematic of the land of Anafi with an irresistible allure of bougainvillea flowers, clay pots, and roaming cats basking successful the sun.

There are lone astir forty-five houses remaining, portion the tiny streets from Stratonos to the Acropolis are inactive unnamed and the houses are referred to arsenic “Anafiotika 1,” “Anafiotika 2,” and truthful on.

The vicinity has small, quadrate houses and constrictive streets that often pb up to ladders oregon adjacent dead-ends astatine terraces, places to beryllium and bask the nighttime presumption of the city.

As 1 question tract enactment it: “In this oasis of tranquility, nestled beneath the walls of the Acropolis, the strength of Athens seems miles away.”

The Church of the Panagios Taphos (the Monastery of the Holy Sepulchre) successful the Anafiotika portion belongs to the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre successful Jerusalem. It is simply a religion diagnostic of the Ottoman period, which was built astatine the opening of the 17th period and is dedicated to Agioi Anargyroi. The religion plays a salient relation successful Easter celebrations, arsenic it is wherever the Holy Light archetypal arrives from Jerusalem connected the evening of Holy Saturday.

There is besides Aghios Nikolaos Ragavas, an 11th period religion that is considered 1 of the astir important Byzantine monuments of the city. From there, 1 has a panoramic presumption of Athens and Lycabettus Hill.

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