Syros, or Siros or Syra is a Greek island in the Cyclades, in the Aegean
Sea. It is located 78 nautical miles south-east of Athens. The area of the
island is 83.6 km2 and it has 21,507 inhabitants.
The largest towns are Ermoupoli, Ano Syros, and Vari. Ermoupoli is the
capital of the island and of the Cyclades. It has always been a
significant port town, and during the 19th century it was even more
significant than Piraeus. Other villages are Galissas, Foinikas, Pagos, Manna,
Kini and Poseidonia. Ermoupoli
Ermoupoli stands on a naturally amphitheatrical site, with neo-classical
buildings, old mansions and white houses cascading down to the harbour. The City
Hall, where Miaoulis Square lies ringed with cafes and with seating areas under
palm trees. The "City of Hermes" has numerous churches, including
Metamorphosis, Koimisis, St. Demetrius, Three Hierarchs, Anastasis,
Evangelistria and St. Nicolas. The Archaeological Museum has many finds and
the Municipal Library contains numerous editions. The quarter of the town known
as Vaporia is where the sea captains lived. Along its narrow streets, stand
numerous neo-classical mansions. Ano Syros
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
Hermoupolis. Ano Syros maintains a medieval atmosphere. Innumerable steps
between narrow streets and houses with coloured doors lead to the top of the
town. The medieval settlement of Ano Syros is accessible by car; the town is
served mostly by marble steps. The distance from the harbour up to the main
entry point of the town is approximately 1000 metres. The Catholic cathedral of
Saint George dominates Ano Syros. The cathedral church was constructed during
the 13th century. From the cathedral visitors have a panoramic view of the
neighbouring islands of Tinos, Delos, Mykonos, Paros, Andros and Naxos.
History = Kastri culture =
The history of settlement on Syros goes back at least 5,000 years, to the Early
Bronze Age of the Cycladic civilization. This is when the hill-top settlement of
Kastri began. Archaeologists describe Early Cycladic III culture as Kastri
culture. Kastri, dated by archaeologists to
2800-2300 BC, was one of the earliest settlements in Greece that were
protected by stone walls with rounded bastions. Also the cemetery of
Chalandriani is associated with Kastri. Inside the fortification, the houses
shared party walls and were packed close together. It is estimates that the
fortified town was home to up to 300 people.
The site was first discovered and excavated in 1898 by Christos Tsountas,
the "father of Cycladic research". Kastri had some of the earliest
metalwork in the region, and also some of the earliest use of potter's wheel.
= Antiquity = Throughout history, the island was
knowns as Syra, then Syros or Siros. In later times, it appears to have been
inhabited by the Phoenicians. In the Odyssey, Syros was the country of the
swineherd Eumaeus who described it at length.
The island was also the home of the philosopher Pherecydes, the teacher of
Pythagoras. It possessed two leading cities, Syros and another city on the
western coast where stands to-day Galissas.
The island did not play an important role during antiquity nor the early
Christian years, it was not even a diocese at a time when even the smallest
island possessed its bishop. During Roman times the capital of Syros was
situated in the area of contemporary Ermoupoli.
= Middle Ages = 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 1522.
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.
= Ottoman Era = 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. However, negotiations of the local authorities
with the Ottomans gave the Cyclades substantial privileges, such as the
reduction of taxes and religious freedom.
At the same time, following an agreement of France and the Holy See with the
Ottoman authorities, the Catholics of the island came under the protection of
France and Rome. 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 is the
earliest known, along with Symeon who died in 1594 and Ignatius in 1596. The
island became for the most part Catholic.
The list of titular bishops may be found in Le Quien and in Eubel. The most
celebrated among them is John Andrew Carga, whom the Turks strangled in 1617
because he refused to convert to Islam and because he was helping the Greek
revolutionaries hiding on the island. After the second half of the 17th
century, a period of economic recovery of the Aegean began, climaxing during
the transition from the 18th to the 19th century. The special regime of the
islands allowed the development of local self-government. The decline of piracy
since the beginning of the 19th century led to the gradual liberation of the sea
routes of the Eastern Mediterranean = In Independent Greece =
Greek War of Independence Due to its crucial geographical
position, Syros became known as a maritime way-point. Moreover, the
special social, religious and institutional conditions prevailing on
the island led Syriots to neutrality at the beginning of the Greek Revolution in
1821, and they did not take part in the Greek revolt. As a result, Syros became
a secure shelter during the Revolution, attracting many Greek refugees from Asia
Minor, Chios, Spetses, Psara, Aivali, Smyrna, Kydonia, Kassos and other
places. 19th century
After 1829 it was incorporated in the newly founded Hellenic kingdom. The
island returned to peace and tranquility, 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. The construction of the
first buildings began in 1822, and in 1824 the first Orthodox Church
Metamorphosis and the largest Greek sanatorium was constructed.
With the foundation of the Greek state, the Catholic population of the island
was hellenized and changed their Latin family names to Greek ones,.
However, there was no problem of integration between the old residents of
Syros, mostly Roman Catholics and the newly arrived refugees, mostly Greek
Orthodox. Because of the Venetian domination from the Middle Ages and
onwards, the islanders had been exclusively Roman Catholic. However, due
to immigration from other islands, Catholics now constitute some 47% of the
population. The majority of the population are Greek Orthodox. They live
peacefully side by side. Intermarriage between Churches is very common in
Syros. During 1831 Syros played a prominent
role in the elaboration of the new Greek Constitution. Under Ioannis
Kapodistrias, 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, 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
unfortunately 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, the theatre Apollon by the
Italian architect Campo, the main Library, the General Hospital of Syros,
Miaoulis square and other buildings were built during that period of time.
The European architects 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. 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.
Since 1830 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 1860
Syros was the most important commercial harbour in Greece. Together with
commerce and ship building, construction and public works were also developed.
The Greek Steamship Company was founded in 1856.
A period of decline then followed, as sailing gave way to steam, the
importance of the geographical situation of the island was reduced and Piraeus
harbour finally took the predominant position in Greece - with the
competition of Patras also reducing Syros' commercial importance.
20th century 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. The Second World War reduced Syros'
economic development, as was the case for every economic centre in Greece.
However, already since the 1980s, along with the generalized economic recovery
and the rise of the living standards in Greece, elements of improvement appeared
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, indicate that Syros is on an
upward trend. Ermoupoli today has 7 elementary
schools, 2 junior high schools, 2 high schools, 2 technical schools and the
Aegean University with a department of Fine Arts and system design, with a
proposed future addition in Applied Arts and Visual Arts. 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.
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.
Administration 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: Ermoupoli
Ano Syros Poseidonia
The municipality also includes the uninhabited island Gyaros and several
other islets. The total area of the municipality is 102.4 km2.
= Province = The province of Syros was one of the
provinces of the Cyclades Prefecture. Its territory corresponded with that of
the current regional units Syros and Mykonos. It was abolished in 2006.
Religion 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 Roman Catholic churches on the island and some entirely Catholic villages;
thus, it is one of the most significant places for Roman Catholicism 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
56 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. Cuisine
Local specialities of the island include:
Kaparosalata Maintanosalata
Frisoura Delagraciano
Ladopita Marathopita
Sfougato San Michali cheese
Loukoumi Sports
Foinikas Syros V.C. Aris Syros, basketball/volleyball
Hellas Syros, football Athletic Club Syros, basketball/football
Notable residents Eumaeus, character in the Odyssey
Pherecydes, philosopher Demetrius Vikelas, writer and the first
president of the International Olympic Committee
Emmanuel Roidis, writer and journalist Giorgos Souris, satirical poet
Stamata Revithi, the first woman to compete in the Olympic Games and run the
Marathon Antonio Gregorio Vuccino A.A.,
Archbishop of Corfu, Zante and Cefalonia, Greece
Markos Vamvakaris musician Capt. John T. Vatis Shipowner,
international yacht racer Anastassios "Tassi" Vatis Indy Racecar
team owner, Shipowner Sir Richard Musgrave, Bt 1922-2000
Manos Eleftheriou, lyricist Olga Broumas, poet and translator
Stelios Mainas, actor Airport
Gallery See also
List of islands of Greece References
External links Official website of Municipality of Áno
Sýros Official website of Municipality of
Ermoúpoli University of the Aegean in Ermoúpoli
Department of Product and Systems design from University of the Aegean
Information about Syros from syros-online.com
Syros The Official website of the Greek National Tourism Organisation
Festival of the Aegean Complete travel guide for Syros island