Culture of Ikaria Island. Places to visit - old town, temples, theaters, museums and palaces

Ikaria is called in honour of famous Icarus, the son of an architect Daedalus, made his fatal fall from the sky during his flight from Crete because his wax and feather wings melted. It is either directly from this legend that the island is called Ikaria and the sea is called Ikarian. Nobody knows whether the legend is true or not, but it is safe to say that people have been living here since ancient times.

One of the main evidence is the ruins of ancient Acropolis close to Agios Kirykos.

However, the capital is famous not only for ancient ruins. Be sure to visit the Archaeological Museum of Agios Kirykos. There are exhibited weapons, household items and costumes of locals’ ancestors. The church of Agios Kirykos is a nice building. The Monastery of Mounte Evaggelismos (The Annunciation) is located close to the capital of the island. According to Ikarian history, a family from Chios, named Mounde, gave financial support for the restoration of the monastery, so the monastery was honoured with their name. Evdilos is a village and former municipality of Ikaria. It has many houses built in neoclassical style. What’s interesting, Evdilos is a place where the famous Dyonisian vine was built. The vine made Ikaria popular in ancient times.

Be sure to visit Kambos. It is a relatively small village nowadays. But large and important settlements like Greek Oinoe, Roman Odeon and Byzantine Dolihi. Dolihi was the capital of the island for a long time. If you come to the settlement, you will see ancient buildings as well as modern houses where local inhabitants live now. The ruins of Oenoe and Odeon remains are located not far from Dolihi. Everybody can come here and admire the attractions. The local museum is one more place where you can get for free. But you can’t take pictures here. The museum is opened from 10 to 3. It has a rich collection of ancient artefacts. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Christos Rachon is considered to be a local landmark. This village never sleeps! More precisely, the locals sleep during the daytime and have a night lifestyle. Diapori islet is well known for a wonderful Church of the Resurrection. Be sure to visit Nas town. It was an important island port in antiquity. The settlement was named after Artemis Tauropolos who was a patron of seafarers. The ruins of the ancient port show that people settled here long ago.

Langada is one more ancient settlement on Ikaria. It was presumably founded during the Byzantine reign on the island. The island was attacked by the pirates at those times and every settlement had fortifications. There is an old fortress, a prison and the ruins of a local Guildhall in Langada. Drakano is a town with 10 metres tower. It was used to observe the sea route between Ikaria and nearby Samos. Near the tower stands the solitary Church of St. Georgis.

The castle of Koskina is one of the most spectacular constructions of the island. It was built in the 10th century on a strategically advantageous place. The castle is still well-preserved. You can observe its beautiful arch gates and a nice chapel. The ancient Monastery of Munde is an amazing building of the 15th century. Waterbirds have been living here for centuries. The Church of the Annunciation is famous for it is famous for its carved iconostasis and altar, preserved from the moment of construction. Local wall icons date back to the beginning of the 20th century. The Church of St. Nicholas, located next to the cave Katafigi also deserves your attention.