Panagia Zoodochos Pigi Cathedral and Mitropolis Site Museum
As is so often the case in Greece, the modern town sits atop successive ancient settlements. Excavations undertaken around the Panagia Zoodochos Pigi Cathedral from 1982 to 1985 revealed a layered history of continuous occupation here from Mycenaean times to the present, with significant remains of the classical agora and the later Roman city. The cathedral is often locked; frustratingly, when I have seen a priest unlock a side door and go in, he has assured me that the cathedral is shut -- and slammed the door in my face! The Mitropolis museum, in the square facing the cathedral, preserves the open space of the square while providing access to a segment of the archaeological site below. You'll want to spend at least half an hour here.
What's in a Name? -- There are many churches in Greece called Panagia Zoodochos Pigi (Virgin of the Life-Giving Spring). Here, the name is especially appropriate: The church was built near the ancient Nymphaeum (fountain house). Much of the handsome marble in the cathedral was pillaged from ancient buildings both on Naxos and from neighboring islands, including Delos. Since Venetian times, this neighborhood has been known as Fontana, because of the spring that still flows here.
As is so often the case in Greece, the modern town sits atop successive ancient settlements. Excavations undertaken around the Panagia Zoodochos Pigi Cathedral from 1982 to 1985 revealed a layered history of continuous occupation here from Mycenaean times to the present, with significant remains of the classical agora and the later Roman city. The cathedral is often locked; frustratingly, when I have seen a priest unlock a side door and go in, he has assured me that the cathedral is shut -- and slammed the door in my face! The Mitropolis museum, in the square facing the cathedral, preserves the open space of the square while providing access to a segment of the archaeological site below. You'll want to spend at least half an hour here.
What's in a Name? -- There are many churches in Greece called Panagia Zoodochos Pigi (Virgin of the Life-Giving Spring). Here, the name is especially appropriate: The church was built near the ancient Nymphaeum (fountain house). Much of the handsome marble in the cathedral was pillaged from ancient buildings both on Naxos and from neighboring islands, including Delos. Since Venetian times, this neighborhood has been known as Fontana, because of the spring that still flows here.
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