|
 |
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
 Location |
|
Santorini, or Thira, is on the southernmost fringe of the Cyclades, between Athens and Crete. It is 76 sq km in area, has 69km of coastline and is about 200 nautical miles from Piraeus.
Many consider Santorini to be the most spectacular of the islands. Part of a still-smouldering volcanic archipelago, striking white and multi-coloured sculptured buildings perch precariously along the sunken rim of the volcano caldera (sunken after a major eruption c. 1500 BC), contrasting dramatically with the sheer black cliffs and crystal blue sea along the west coast. In contrast to this, its east side is covered with fertile plains growing tomatoes and vines for the island's famous wines and most of the rest of the island is scattered with deposits of volcanic material.
There are many beaches on the island but most are strewn with black pebbles or pumice!
|
 Population |
|
Santorini has 7,100 inhabitants.
|
 History |
|
Excavations have shown that the island was inhabited in pre-historic times (3200 BC-2000 BC) and reached its apogee from 2000-1550 BC. Then this period of prosperity was interrupted by the eruption of the volcano in 1500 BC, completely destroying the Minoan settlements that were in existence at the time. Subsequent eruptions (the last one was in 1925-6 but the volcano is now dormant!) have created new volcanic islets in the sea immediately around Santorini.
In July 1956 an earthquake killed 53 people and destroyed 2400 homes along the rim of the caldera (are the hotels and restaurants perched along the cliffs really such a good idea?!).
|
 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.
|
|
 Saints |
|
|
 Prayer |
|
Pray for the 7,000 permanent residents of Santorini, that some of them will have the opportunity to know Christ
Pray that God will call Christians to regularly support the island in prayer or even to make their permanent home on Santorini (tempting when you see the sunsets!)
|
 Miscellaneous |
|
Don't miss the pretty town of 'Oia' in the north. Although also badly damaged in the 1956 earthquake, the town has been rebuilt and is now extremely photogenic and sometimes referred to as 'the Paris of the Aegean'. It has less crowds than the main town Fira, a reconstructed windmill and superb sunset views over the town and the sea.
There are also numerous other pretty white-washed villages scattered around the island. Most serve tourists with hotels and restaurants but are noticeably less spoilt than the main towns e.g. Finikia, Tourlos, Imeravigli, Perissa, and Kamari.
Also visit the Pompei-like Minoan town just below Akrotiri village, completely buried by the ash and lava from the massive volcanic eruption
|
 Celebrations |
|
|
 Resources |
|
www.greektravel.com
www.in2greece.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
