Central Chios and Nea Moni. General

The main road due west from Chios town rises steadily, passing (1.3km) the modern monastery of the Panaghia Voithei­a (the ‘Virgin of Succour’) (right side), built at the site of an abundant freshwater spring (left side) whose mineral waters are still popular with locals who come here to collect them. There are more springs in the village of Karyes, which is built on a ‘shelf ’ below the escarpments of Mount Troulos, and is reached by a detour from the road at 3.2km from Chios. From the ridge of the clifflike escarpment north and west of Karyes, was extracted in Antiquity one of the loveliest of all ancient polychrome marbles, known today by the post-Renaissance name of Breccia di Aleppo. The marble is characterised by a pale grey and brick-coloured ground, scattered with prominent, golden-yellow breccie. It has nothing to do with Aleppo (an error in taxonomy caused by the mistranscription of the name of a quarry of similar stone in Southern France), but in fact comes from this small quarry on Chios, which to this day shows signs of ancient cutting and is littered with potsherds of the Hellenistic and Roman period.
   After 6km the road climbs steeply in switchbacks, with magnificent views opening into the Turkish mainland: the hillside is dotted with other monasteries, churches and hermitages, all of which profited from the spiritual and clerical traffic that the presence of Nea Moni attracted. One of these (left turn at 8.8km) is the intimate monastery of Aghios Markos. Hosios Parthenios, who was the principal force behind the rebuilding of Nea Moni after the earthquake of 1881, is buried here: his hermitic cave-cell is on the hill below (obtain key from monastery) beside a stand of fir-trees, with serene views to the sea below.

 

Chios Island is part of the Northern Aegean Island group
Central Chios and Nea Moni. General Information.


Random information you might what to know about Chios Island
Archaeolgical Museum of Chios
Daskalopetra, a sanctuary to Cybele

 

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