Khíos (Part 2)

In 1566 the Ottomans took control of Khíos but the island was granted special privileges and it continued to prosper until 1822. This was the time of the Greek War of Independence and the Samian agitators persuaded the somewhat reluctant Khíots to take part in the independence uprisings. Enraged at the betrayal of the privileges given to the island, Sultan Mahmut II instigated a 2-month massacre of the islanders. Of the 117,000 island population only 1,800 survived and remained on the island with a further 21,000 managing to escape to other Aegean islands. 42,000 islanders were killed a further 52,000 women and children were enslaved and all of the island’s settlements were razed except for the mastic villages*. The island had barely started to recover from this carnage when, in March 1881, a huge earthquake destroyed much of what was left and killed another 3500 people. [* massacre statistics from a sign at  Néa Moní monastery]

Remains of the burnt forests and the beach at which we had lunch   

The people of Khíos now appear to have recovered and the island, and its small neighbour Oinoússa, are home to some of Greece’s wealthiest shipping magnates. The mastic production, however, has not been so fortunate. In 2012 a devastating fire destroyed most of the plantations and the previous 150 tonnes annual production is in a severe dip whilst the plantations recover. As a result of the fire, as we drove north from the mastic villages we passed through a strange landscape dotted with burnt skeletons of trees interspersed amongst the healthy growth. We had a delightful picnic lunch on a beach all to ourselves.

Avgónyma   

After lunch we continued up the east coast and climbed higher. On one of the peaks we visited was the small and very well kept village of Avgónyma. Apparently, many of the houses in the village have been completely restored by Greek-Americans who have returned to the island.

Anávatos perched on the hilltop   

A few kilometres on and we were able to look up at the almost deserted, crumbling ruins of Anávatos.

Anávatos   

Ignoring the ‘enter at your own risk’ sign, we climbed up to take a closer look. It’s an amazing position above a deep ravine and whilst it is crumbling, restoration work has been started but appears now to have ground to a halt. It’s also a slightly eerie place; its lack of inhabitants is because, during the 1822 massacre, 400 Khíots threw themselves off the cliffs here rather than be captured by the Ottoman forces. The settlement has never been properly repopulated since.

Anávatos   

From Anávatos we worked our way east back towards Khíos town. We wanted to visit the UNESCO World Heritage site of Néa Moní monastery but having turned up there we discovered that the opening times had changed and so we had a spare hour to kill.

View of Khíos town from the monastery on the peak    

We drove up to a nearby peak, also capped by a monastery [Ed: and which was also closed for siesta] but we were rewarded with fabulous views east down over Khíos town and the strait.

Néa Moní monastery   

At 1630 we were back at Néa Moní monastery where we were eventually let in. The monastery was founded in 1049 by Emperor Constantine and, despite suffering in both the 1822 massacres and the 1881 earthquake, it is believed to be one of the finest examples of mid-Byzantine architecture and so underwent a 5 year restoration from 2005-2009.

The monastery had been one of the wealthiest in the Aegean and during the Byzantine period it had special tax exemptions and privileges for its estates which covered a third of the island. However, it was sacked and looted during the Greek War of Independence and the dome and 1512 bell tower subsequently collapsed during the 1881 earthquake. Clearly some fairly extensive reconstruction work was needed as part of the restoration.

Néa Moní mosaics   

The outside is notable but the real gem is the mosaic-work made from natural stones and glass, which covers many of the internal walls and ceilings of the church. The mosaics depict the life of Christ and also feature the Archangels Michael and Gabriel. The amount of gold used and the clarity of the facial features creates a bright and impressive composition [Ed: if a little ostentatious for puritanical northern Europeans like us!]

In 1822 three and a half thousand of the islanders sought refuge in the monastery from the Ottoman rampage, sadly to no avail, and on 2 April, Easter Sunday, most of them and the monastery’s monks were killed. In a separate chapel there is a macabre cabinet filled with some of the remains of these victims.

The other buildings of the monastery, some restored for current use, some still ruined, surround the church. At its height there was a community of something approaching 800 monks here. The ruins show that they had their own cells and workshops and immediately around are the ruins of mills, olive oil presses, barns and other buildings to enable the community to be self-sufficient. The underground cistern, pictured centre above, is still full of water.

View from Néa Moní   

Looking from the small plateau the monastery is built on, as well as the beautiful view, you can also see the remains of the terracing from when the land was cultivated by the monks.

By now we felt that we had done enough tourism for one day and so drove back down to the coast stopping at a supermarket on the way to pick up some heavy supplies whilst we had the car. With BV victualled it was time to look closely at the weather forecast and work out where we would move to next.

Khíos, Greece