Tinos / Cyclades: overview (click to enlarge)

◊ Triantaros
◊ Arnados
◊ Falatados
◊ Steni
◊ Tripotamos
◊ Karia
◊ Xinara
◊ Koumaros
◊ Loutra
◊ Monastiria
◊ Volakas (Volax)
◊ Tarambados
◊ Kardiani
◊ Isternia
◊ Komi
◊ Pyrgos
◊ Panormos

Monastiria, a unique, medieval village...

Monastiria is one of the oldest villages in Tinos. The ruinous village is surrounded by a truly exceptional landscape of amphitheatric terrain, evoking images of the ancient Greek theater. The settlement, which dates back to the 14th-15th centuries, stands out as a unique example of the traditional island architecture. Unfortunately, in the 1960s inhabitants started to desert the settlement as a result of the harsh living conditions of the region.

Today, the village, which is nestled in the midst of this stunning scenery, is made up entirely of abandoned ruinous stone-built houses. It offers an extraordinary ambience of serene solitude that reminds one of an open-air museum. This completely abandoned village in a unique landscape has a pervasive and individual character. “Monastiria” is the Greek word for monasteries. Tradition has it that in past times, monks and nuns lived in a monastery, which no longer exists, leading cloistered lives of seclusion in their tiny stone cells in the midst of these stark yet tranquil surroundings, engaged in silkworm cultivation...