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 Location |
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Located in the centre of the Cyclades, between Kythnos, Tinos and Mykonos, Syros is 84 sq km in area, has 87 km of coastline and lies 83 nautical miles from the Athens port of Piraeus. Hermoupolis, the island's main town, is also capital of the prefecture of the Cyclades.
The island is relatively small and arid and mountainous in the north whereas the south is flat with fertile plains. The coast is indented with small coves and headlands with lovely beaches between.
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 Population |
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21,000 altogether, 19,668 in Syros town
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 History |
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Finds of early Cycladic civilisation from prehistoric times have been found (2700-2200 BC) on the island. During Venetian possession under the Duchy of Naxos the fortified town of Ano Syros was built on the hill to the west of the harbour and then taken by the Turks in 1537. Many Catholics from the surrounding islands sought refuge on Syros thanks to the protection of the King of France. Just prior to the 1821 Revolution the island had great prosperity and its harbour in particular was a hive of commercial activity. At this time many also came here seeking protection from persecution by the Turks and in 1822 refugees from Psara, Chios and Smyrna built Hermoupolis between Ano Syros and the waterfront. For half a century thereafter the port flourished as a commercial, maritime and cultural centre until Piraeus eventually took over as Athens' principle port, but even today its population is involved in business and maritime activities
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 Religion |
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This topic is not island-specific. It applies to the nation of Greece.
Orthodox Christianity is the recognized dominant religion of Greece and it is legally protected by the state. This has caused legal discrimination against non-Orthodox Churches, and although the constitution of 1975 removed the power of most of the old laws against Protestants, problems still exist today. There is a lot of fear towards anything outside of the Orthodox Church, especially on the islands. However, repeated rulings of the European Court of Justice in favour of religious minorities in cases of discrimination have led to a relative increase of the freedoms that these religious minorities now enjoy.
On the top of the hill of the medieval town of Ano Syros stands the Catholic Church of San Giorgio. East of this is the Bishop's residency and nearby the Capuchin monastery and the Jesuit monastery. There are over 50 Catholic churches on Syros, both in Hermoupolis and the other villages on the island.
The other hill in the town, however, is topped by a Greek Orthodox church dating only from the 19th Century. Hermoupolis was also once considered the spiritual city of Hermes, the god of commerce.
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 Prayer |
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- Pray that the islanders would see past the often meaningless labels of 'Catholic' or 'Orthodox' to the real Jesus who can change their lives!
- Pray for a permanent Christian presence on the island.
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 Miscellaneous |
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 Celebrations |
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 Resources |
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www.greektravel.com
www.in2greece.com
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