About the island of Syros, Greece:
Syros (Greek: Σύρος, romanized: Sýros, [ˈsiros]), also known as Siros or Syra, is a Greek island in the Cyclades, in the Aegean Sea. It is 78 nautical miles (144 km) south-east of Athens. The area of the island is 32 square miles (83.6 km2) and as of the latest census it had 21,124 inhabitants.
The largest towns are Ermoupoli, Ano Syros, and Vari. Ermoupoli is the capital of the island, the Cyclades, and the South Aegean. It has always been a significant port town, and during the 19th century it was even more significant than the port of Piraeus in Athens. Other villages are Galissas, Foinikas, Pagos, Manna, Kini, Azolimnos and Poseidonia.
Ermoupoli (Greek: Ερμούπολη) stands on a naturally amphitheatrical site, with neo-classical buildings, old mansions, and white houses cascading down to the harbour. It was built during the Greek War of Independence in the 1820s.
The city hall is in the center of the town, in Miaoulis Square, ringed with cafés, seating areas, and palm trees. Dubbed the “City of Hermes”, Syros has numerous churches, such as Metamorphosis, Koimisis, St. Demetrius, Three Hierarchs, Anastasis, Evangelistria, and St. Nicolas. There is an archaeological museum and a municipal library.
Ano Syros is the second town of Syros and was built by the Venetians at the beginning of the 13th century on the hill of San Giorgio, north-west of Ermoupoli. Ano Syros maintains a medieval atmosphere. The Catholic cathedral of Saint George dominates Ano Syros. The cathedral church was constructed during the 13th century.
At the end of ancient times, barbarian raids and piracy, which affected the Aegean for many centuries, led Syros to decline. The island, along with the other Cyclades, was devastated several times during the Middle Ages by raiders from different directions including Sicilians, Arabs, Turks and Venetians.
In the Byzantine years Syros constituted part of the Theme of the Aegean Sea, along with the rest of the Cycladic islands. After the overthrow of Byzantium in the Fourth Crusade by the Venetians and Franks in 1204, the island was definitively conquered by the Venetians under the leadership of Marco Sanudo. As part of the Duchy of the Archipelago, Syros would remain under Venetian rule until 1566 although after 1540 this was only maintained by payment of tribute to the Ottoman Sultan.
It was at this time that Ano Syros was founded. During the Latin period, the majority of the local community were Roman Catholics, but maintained the Greek language. During the reign of almost three and a half centuries of the Duchy of the Archipelago, Syros had a singular feudal regime.
Saint George’s Cathedral (Roman Catholic)
Catholic Church of Saint John (1640), Ano Syros
By the 16th century, the Ottoman fleet became dominant in the Aegean and the Duchy fell apart. In 1522 the corsair Barbarossa took possession of the island, which would be known as “Sire” during Ottoman rule.[5] However, negotiations of the local authorities with the Ottomans gave the Cyclades substantial privileges, such as religious freedom and the reduction of taxes.
The Roman Catholic diocese of Syros was a Latin diocese, suffragan of Naxos. The Venetians had established there a Latin bishopric which was subject to the Latin Archbishopric of Athens until 1525. From the time of the island’s occupation by the Turks in the 16th century, the Greeks established an Orthodox metropolitan on Syros: Joseph[6] is the earliest known, along with Symeon who died in 1594[7] and Ignatius in 1596.[8] The island became for the most part Catholic.[9]
The list of titular bishops may be found in Le Quien[10] and in Eubel.[11] The most celebrated among them is Ioannis Andreas Kargas, whom the Turks strangled in 1617 because he refused to convert to Islam and because he was helping Greek revolutionaries hiding on the island.[12]
Due to its crucial geographical position, Syros became an important maritime way-point.
In 1827 Syros became part of the newly founded First Hellenic Republic and later (1834) the Greek Kingdom. Syros became known as a cross-road in the Aegean and as an international commercial center linking Western Europe and the Mediterranean sea to the East.
During 1831 Syros played a prominent role in the unfolding of the new Greek Constitution. Under Ioannis Kapodistrias (Giovanni Capo D’Istria), the first Governor of the new state, the population of Ermoupolis had reached 13,805 residents and the city had evolved into a seat of government. It had a Commercial Court of Law, a post office (one of the first in Greece), insurance brokerages, the first public school, a branch of the National Bank of Greece, art gallery, museum, library, a social club for the elite society etc. However, in 1854 cholera and a series of other epidemics plunged Syros into mourning. A number of charitable institutions for public health and social services were established during this period: orphanages, poorhouses and a mental hospital.
Newcomers, mainly mariners and tradesmen, gave the island a new dynamic, which along with its demographic and economic development, turned it into an administrative and cultural centre. Newcomers flocked to the island and founded the town of Ermoupoli, which rapidly became the leading port of Greece.
Between 1822 and 1865, Ermoupoli was rebuilt in a Neoclassical style, merging Greek Classicism with elements of the Renaissance. Many landmarks such as the City Hall (designed by the German architect Ernst Ziller), the Apollo Theatre by the Italian architect Pietro Campo (a miniature version of the La Scala in Milan), the main Library, the General Hospital of Syros (Vardakeio-Proio), Miaoulis square and other buildings were built during that period of time. Passing through on 6 April 1864, the effect of all the sugary marble is such that the English artist Edward Lear, refers to the town fondly in his diary as “the old sparkly pile”.
The European architects (mainly Germans and Italians) and also Greeks who participated in the design and planning of Ermoupolis respected the classical and ancient Greek architecture and harmonized it with the romanticism of the West. Ermoupoli has a high density of neoclassical architecture. The prosperity of Syros was connected with the development of social and cultural life. The evolutionary cycle was completed with the creation of the first industrial units during the decade of 1860–70.
Most public buildings, churches, schools, stadiums and many mansions were built in the same elegant and neoclassical style, making Ermoupoli at the time a very modern city with a unique character. As a result, Syros changed almost overnight from a rather quiet island into a vigorous centre of crafts, industry and production.[14] Also, due to its large port of Ermoupoli, it turned into a major centre for ship building and refitting. Neorion was the first shipyard of Greece. To this very day, it remains a place where many ships are serviced and refitted.
Around the 1830’s the commerce of fabrics, silk, ship building, leather and iron developed on Syros, and at the same time a powerful banking system was created. The tremendous growth and development of Ermoupolis continued and until by 1860 Syros was the most important commercial harbor in Greece. Together with commerce and ship building, construction and public works were also developed.
A period of decline then followed, as sailing gave way to steam (The Greek Steamship Company was founded in 1856), the importance of the geographical situation of the island was reduced and Piraeus harbor finally took the predominant position in Greece – with the competition of Patras also reducing Syros’ commercial importance. Beginning at the end of the 19th century and for several decades, a temporary economic recovery took place, due to the development of the textile industry (“Foustanos-Karellas-Velissaropoulos Co”).
As a result of the imperial ambitions and fascist ideology of Benito Mussolini’s Italy, which invaded and occupied Syros during World War II, the island’s inhabitants experienced a devastating famine causing thousands of deaths.
The Second World War reduced Syros’ economic development, as was the case for every economic center in Greece. However, beginning in the 1980’s, there was generalized economic recovery in Greece, with tourism as its central axis. At the same time, the re-opening of the Neorion shipyards, as well as a number of other activities, putSyros on an upward trend.
Syros also has a British cemetery where various people are buried, including many seamen and servicemen who died in the Cyclades region, particularly during the Second World War. The numerous consulates of countries such as France, Britain, Italy, the Netherlands and Scandinavian countries bear witness to the connection of Syros with the wider European scene.
Syros is a separate regional unit of the South Aegean region. The only municipality of the regional unit is Syros-Ermoupoli. As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the regional unit Syros was created out of part of the former Cyclades Prefecture. At the same reform, the municipality Syros-Ermoupoli was created out of the 3 former municipalities:[16]
As in the rest of Greece, Syros has Eastern Orthodox churches. Metamorphosis is the most important Orthodox church on the island, Kimisis tis Theotokou is also significant and noted for the fact that it hosts a masterpiece by painter El Greco. There is also an equal number of Catholic Church buildings on the island and some entirely Catholic villages; thus, it is one of the most significant places for the Catholic Church in Greece.
Syros is one of a few places where Catholics and Orthodox share a common date for Easter, which in Syros’ case, is the Orthodox date.
The Catholic diocese numbers 9000 worshippers, 21 secular priests and 8 regulars, 7 parishes, 7 churches with a resident priest, 3 without a priest, and 57 chapels. The Capuchins and Jesuits each have an establishment; the Sisters of Charity, 2 houses, one of which is a hospital; the Sisters of St Joseph of the Apparition have a boarding school and St George, a De La Salle Public School.[citation needed]
There is also a single church of the Greek Byzantine Catholic Church (in communion with Rome) on the island.
Festival of the Aegean (Official website of the music festival that has been held on the island since 2005.)
The island of Syros has an almost equal number of Catholic and Orthodox churches. The most impressive Catholic church is the Church of Agios Georgios, on the highest point of Ano Syros village, with the Center of Historical Studies of Catholic Bishopric at the rear of the church.
The Venetians, who conquered the island in the medieval times and occupied it for many centuries, left a lasting Catholic legacy. During this period, Syros became a bastion of Catholicism and, in fact, it is known as the “Island of the Pope”. Even when the Ottomans dominated the island, the Catholic influence remained and Syros came under the protection of France and the Vatican.
Moreover, the French had ensured from the Turks some privileges for the Catholic community of Syros, part of the broader Franco-Ottoman alliance of the 16th century, which began in 1536 between King Francis I of France and Sultan Suleiman I. As part of this alliance, France secured capitulations—formal treaties granting certain privileges to its subjects and allies within the Ottoman Empire. Many residents became Catholic during that period of time and Catholic monasteries were founded; such as the Capuchin Monastery and the Monastery of Jesuits in Ano Syros, that still stand today.
When Greece was liberated from the Turks and the Greek State was established in 1829, the catholic population of Syros was Hellenized and changed their Latin names to Greek, for example Russo to Roussos, Vuccino to Voutsinos and Vacondio to Vakondios. The integration to the Greek State did not provoke any problems and there was a good relationship between the old Roman Catholic residents of Syros and the refugees from Asia Minor.
In 1921, Greeks from Asia Minor (Anatolia) fled to Greek islands primarily because of the collapse of the Greek military campaign in the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) and the widespread violence, expulsions, and massacres they faced.
Catholic places of interest on the island of Syros, Greece:
Because of the Venetian domination from the Middle Ages onwards, the islanders had a Roman Catholic majority. However, due to immigration from other islands, Catholics now constitute some 47% of the population. The majority of the population are Greek Orthodox. Intermarriage between Churches is very common in Syros. There is also a single parish of the Byzantine Greek Catholic Church. Syros stands out in Greece for its harmonious coexistence of Catholic and Orthodox traditions, with shared celebrations (especially Easter) reflecting the island’s mixed heritage.
Ano Syros: Cathedral of Saint George, Church of Saint Sebastian.
Ermoupolis: Church of the Annunciation of the Lord.
Traveling to the island of Syros, Greece:
The Syros Island National Airport, the Aegean casino, the frequent passenger boat transportation system and all other modern amenities help to attract many domestic and foreign tourists to the island all year round.
By ship: Syros is a popular cruise destination served by several cruise lines.
By ferry: There are regular ferry connections to the island from Athens, or you can come by ferry from one of the neighboring Cycladic islands, such as Mykonos, Tinos, or Paros.
By air: There is also an airport on the island, Dimitrios Vikelas Airport IATA code JSY. , 2.1 miles (3.5 kilometers) southeast of Ermoupoli. It is not an international airport. There are direct flights to Athens all year, and seasonally to Thessaloniki.