Sikinos is an island with precious traditions and old customs that the islanders seek to preserve. The Sikinos Summer festival is very popular, taking place in August and lasting for a coupler of weeks with music concerts, exhibitions and a film festival. There are also a number of ancient sites, including the splendid newly renovated Episkopi, that are worth a walk out to.
Byzantine and Post Byzantine Collection
In the central square of Kastro in a two-storey traditional house is the island collection of icons, mainly from the School of Crete, part of a Byzantine temple and paintings from the era. Displayed in the museum in summer, the icons are kept in the Church of Pantanassa at other times.
Episkopi
Perhaps the most impressive sight on the island, Episkopi is a delightfully adapted Roman temple that later served as a Christian church. Originally thought to have been a Hellenistic era sanctuary to Hera, hence the former name Heroon, it is now thought to have been a Roman mausoleum from the 3rd century AD. Virtually intact, it was converted into a monastery in 1673 after it was damaged in an earthquake. Restored in 2018, a hidden grave of a noblewoman called Neiko was found along with her golden jewelry. Continue walking to the church of Agia Marina with nearby Roman ruins and some of the best views on the island.
Film Festival
The Little Island Festival is a celebration of audio-visual arts originating in Sikinos and tries to connect the smaller Aegean islands with contemporary culture. Over 3 days every August a series of documentaries, animations and short films are screened alongside live performances.
Folklore Museum
Housed in an old olive press that belonged to the Margetis family, it has a private collection of old agricultural implements, household utensils, and traditional tools used in the processing of olive oil, for which the island was famous.
Monastery of Zoodochos Pigi
Reached by a stone stairway on the east side of the village, the monastery resembles a fortress and it served as protection for the villagers during pirate raids. The monastery was built in 1690 and abandoned in 1834. Inside the tall walls, there is a paved yard and the church within is still active. Actually a nunnery, it is tended to by Sister Dorothea today, and the views are magical across the island to the sea. The sacred icon is kept in the church of Agios Vassilis in Chora and it is returned to the monastery once a year in a great festival and feast day.
Below the monastery is a small chapel, Panagia Pantochora, built to a modern design by the Nobel prize winning poet Odysseas Elytis, a long term Sikinos lover, though he died before it was completed.
Paleokastro
Ninety minutes walk northeast from Chora lies Paleokastro, the patchy remains of an ancient fortress above the bay of Maltas. It is mooted that the flourishing town of Oinoi was found here as mentioned by the ancient writers Pliny and Strabo.
Read also:
Modern Aegean Mysteries in Sikinos – Festival at Panagia Pantohara
Sikinos: Wild landscapes, virgin beaches, and unexplored beauty on a tiny Aegean island
Piso Livadi: A small, peaceful seaside village in Paros, with excellent food
