Paraportiani Church, Mykonos
Paraportiani Church is located in Mykonos, on the old Venetian Castro hill, where today you can see many religious temples. Among them, however, St. Paraportiani stands in the foreground, which was declared a National Cultural Monument. This is the oldest and most famous church on the island.
The Greek island Mykonos, which is part of the Cyclades in the Aegean Sea and which possesses great historical monuments is an exciting experience that you should visit, if you can. The symbols of the island are the pelican Petros and windmills, but when it comes to religious sites, the Paraportiani Church is the favorite.
Paraportiani Church in Mykonos is the most popular and most photographed of 400 churches, which can be seen on a Greek island. What makes this Christian edifice so unique and remarkable is its architectural structure, which represents an asymmetric ensemble of four chapels, united in the common name Paraportiani. In architectural terms Paraportiani church is an amazing and successful blend of four styles - Byzantine, Greek folk, religious and traditional western style.
Paraportiani church dates from the mid- 15th century. Its name stems from the word "Port", which means door. It is called this, because Paraportiani was once built near the entrance to the medieval castle in the town of Mykonos, which unfortunately was completely destroyed and of it now remains no trace. With its unique design, Paraportiani has four separate parts and is considered an unique building with great architectural value.
The temple itself is made of four ground temples and one of the first floor, which is actually the main church Paraportiani. The chapels around it are Aghios Sozontas, Aghii Anargyri, Aghia Anastasia, and Aghios Efstathios. They are united under the name Paraportiani.
Paraportiani Temple is located in the Old City part of the island Mykonos. It is located quite close to the port. The foundations of the church, a prominent hill on Castro were made in 1475, and other structures were added gradually in different periods of history, and the final form becomes Paraportiani church somewhere in the 17th century.
