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

You should start your acquaintance with Skopelos from its capital, Skopelos Town. You can admire the ruins of the ancient fortress Kastro here. It was built by the Byzantines in the Middle Ages in order to protect the settlement from the pirate raids. The fortress was raised in the place where the ancient acropolis situated. You can still see some of its parts. The oldest cult building of the island is the Church of Agios Athanasios. It was built in the 11th century. An ancient sanctuary was located on its place. Nowadays travellers can see the interior of the church and admire frescoes from the 16th century.

There are many different churches and chapels on the island. Some of them are opened only on particular days. Despite the fact that Skopelos is a small piece of land, there are more than 350 cult buildings on it. You should definitely visit the church of the Virgin Mary, the monastery of Agios Riginos and the monastery of Evangelista.

The Folklore Museum of Skopelos Town is located in a beautiful 17th-century building. You can see a large collection of household items, weapons and clothes of the 19th century. Its interiors represent different rooms. There are a living room, a bedroom and a nursery. A part of the exhibition also includes different items connected with fishing, sea and sailors. It is obvious because the lives of many Greek inhabitants were connected to the sea during the centuries. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Remains of the citadel of ancient Selinous and the ruins of ancient baths can be found near Loutraki. Scientists believe that the baths are dated back to the 4th century BC. The ruins of the temple of Athena is dated back to the 5th century. There is also the Holy Archangels Monastery and a wonderful church of Agios Ioannis Kastri. The second one is a remarkable place. The scenes of popular Mamma Mia movie were filmed here. The church is located on the rock and it provides amazing views to the coasts of Skopelos.

The history of Agios Ioannis Kastri Church building deserves your attention. According to the legend, one of the local inhabitants saw a girl on the top of the rock. She asked him to come here and take the icons. It was a long and difficult road. He had to climb the rock and cut steps. The icon was on its top. It was sent to the nearby church. But the icon disappeared on the first night and appeared on the top of that rock again. Locals thought it was a sign and they built a church at the peak where the icon was found.

Don’t miss a chance to visit Agnontas. It is a small ancient town. Agnontas was a Greek athlete, a champion of the Ancient Olympic Games in 569 BC. It is believed that he was coming home after the victory and landed in Agnontas which is an alternative port of Skopelos. Nowadays, it is not only a port but also a point of intersection of many bus routes. Agnontas is a truly «Greek» town where you can feel the ancient spirit. There are many small houses, narrow streets, markets and squares which put you in Medieval Greece.

Be sure to visit the Monastery of the Transfiguration of Christ (Metamorfosi Sotira). It was built in the 16th century and its interior hasn’t changed at all. There are also old ceremonial vestments of priests, rare books and even holy relics. Sotiros Monastery stands in its place for four centuries. It still functions but only one monarch lives here. In general, there are a lot of beautiful and ancient buildings on Skopelos which represent all the possible architectural styles.