|
 |
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
 Location |
|
Naxos is centrally located in the 'Cyclades' island group, which were once said to 'circle' the island of Delos and the birthplace of the greek god Apollo. It lies approximately 7 hours by ferry from the Athens port Piraeus (103 nautical miles) and is the largest island in the group (428 sq. km in area, 148km of coast), and popular with tourists as a base for visiting the other islands nearby e.g. Mykonos, Amorgos and Paros.
Often labelled as the most beautiful of the Cyclades, Naxos offers an alluring mix of wide sandy beaches, a fertile interior landscape and attractive white-washed villages. It's also essentially a mountainous island and has considerable mineral wealth (marble, granite, emery).
|
 Population |
|
18,000 altogether. The island's capital, Chora, has a population of 14,037.
|
 History |
|
It is said that Naxos was first inhabited by Thracians who brought with them their cult of Dionysos. In accordance with archaelogical finds on the island, it seems that it was the centre of Cycladic civilisation at various times in history and inhabited by various different groups throughout the ages e.g. Persians, Egyptians, Romans and finally the Turks, until it was liberated along with the rest of the Cyclades.
|
 Religion |
|
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.
Naxos town is dominated by the Venetian castle (built 1207) where the Catholics once lived whilst the Orthodox Greeks lived outside in Bourgos. There was also a Jewish quarter.
Nowadays the principle religion is Greek Orthodox although there is still a Catholic presence on the island
|
|
 Saints |
|
|
 Prayer |
|
The coats of arms on the Catholic Cathedral and ruined palaces show possible occult symbols and there are rumours among locals of possible witchcraft occurring inside the confines of the castle. Please pray that
The light of Jesus would shine through to the islanders and that darkness from the many false gods worshipped on the island would be broken down.
A Christian lady who lives in Naxos town would be strengthened by God and able to share her faith effectively with others
|
 Miscellaneous |
|
Alongside its popularity as a tourist destination, Naxos has also retained its significance as a farming community noted for its wines and cheeses. This continues to make an important contribution to the economy of the island.
|
 Celebrations |
|
|
 Resources |
|
www.greektravel.com
www.in2greece.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
