THE SIGHTS OF THE ISLAND OF SERIFOS OR SERIPHOS IN GREECE

The village of Koutalas is a coastal village in the south west of the island. Here you find a beach, but above the village lie the remains of the old "Kastro tis Grias", a Hellenistic fortress of great historical importance. There are ruined houses and fortification walls and remains from an early Christian basilica. Nearby are the ruins of a Hellenistic tower known as Aspropyrgos or white tower. Koutalas also has an interesting cave with stalactites and stalagmites. According to several findings they assume that the cave was used as a place of worship in ancient times. The cave has two chambers, a small lake and as a floor with petrified seashells. The Monastery of the Taxiarches in the north of Serifos is the most important sight of the island. This white painted monastery with its high walls, blue dome and clock tower was built in the early 17th century and it looks like a large fortress. It is situated 8 kilometer north of Hora. During the Turkish occupation of Serifos the Monastery of the Taxiarches was the economical and religious center of the island. In the sacristy important relics, Byzantine manuscripts and rare documents are kept. In the south west of the island, above Megalo Livadi you find the "Throne of the Cyclops", a construction of very large (cyclops) stones. The building is just nine by seven meters large and from its position high up it looks out over the bay. Mythology tells that the cyclops (giants with one eye) lived in a cave on the island of Serifos and that this was their throne. Megalo Livadi used to be an important village for the mining industry and was built just after 1850. A lot of iron and even gold used to be won in the mines of Serifos. There are remains of buildings from that time and there is monument in memory of the miners that died in the strike of 1916 for better working conditions. Striking is the large iron bridge on a stone build pillar that reaches out into the sea. Here the loading and unloading of the ships took place. In a valley in the north eastern part of the island of Serifos lies the village of Kentarhos or Kendarhos with its narrow streets, white washed houses and many dovecotes. Here in this village the remains of a vaulted tomb of a Roman centurion have been discovered. A walk of twenty minutes over a path with stone steps that starts at the village of Kentharos will take you to a nice beach (Kentharos beach).

© Hans Huisman, https://www.angelfire.com/super2/greece/ 2014