Listed 24 sub titles with search on: Sights for wider area of: "LEFKADA Prefecture IONIAN ISLANDS" .
LEFKADA (Town) IONIAN ISLANDS
Lefkada is impressive even as it first greets the visitor, as he crosses the narrow
strip of dry land and the 50-metre long floating bridge from the coast of Aitoloakarnania.
The bridge turns around on itself allowing small boats to pass through the canal
of Lefkada. Gyra is one of Lefkada's most important natural beauties. This narrow
strip of white sand, 7 kilometres long, which embraces the lagoon on the north
of the island, makes the landscape quite special. Gyra begins from the point almost
behind the Kastro, creating Ammoglossa ('sand tongue') and reaching as far as
the other side, beyond the town. Inside the lagoon is the 'ivari,' where fish
are bred in special, traditional wicker baskets and grow within natural conditions.
The lagoon of Lefkada is a wonderful wetland inhabited by many and rare species
of bird, such as swans, pelicans, herons, wild ducks, wild geese, coots and others.
This extract is cited April 2004 from the Prefecture of Lefkada URL below, which contains images
PIGADISSANI (Village) LEFKADA
The 'Marcous' bridge, a traditional stone bridge with an arch, is also here. It
must have been built by the Venetians as it has a Venetian name. It is a charming
little bridge located in the midst of thick vegetation and well worth visiting.
Another exceptional natural feature in this area are the waterfalls of Akoni,
which are of great ecological interest. This natural environment has been praised
in the works of Lefkada's two great poets, Aristotelis Valaoritis and Angelos
Sikelianos.
LEFKADA (Town) IONIAN ISLANDS
The building which today houses the Town Hall was built during the period of British rule.
EPISKOPI (Village) KALAMOS
The Kastro of Kalamos, the so-called Castle-Monastery, is near Episkopi. Only
sections of its tall, stone walls remain, with their beautiful inner arches which
become embrasures for weapons on the outside. Abandonment, earthquakes and the
attrition of time have been relentless with the 'kastromonastiro.' Very little
is known about this impressive monument today, although the Kastro has now been
included in a restoration programme. It is said that the mother of the 1821 fighter
Karaiskakis is buried within the castle. On the other side of the island is Porto
Leone, a charming, little bay so named by the Venetians who first drew up the
maps of the area.
This extract is cited April 2004 from the Prefecture of Lefkada URL below, which contains images
LEFKADA (Town) IONIAN ISLANDS
At the entrance to the island, like a silent fortress and testimony to others
eras, stands the castle of Santa Maura. It once embraced the capital and closed
off the road for enemies and pirates. The castle was built around 1300 by the
Frankish ruler Giovanni Orsini when he was given Lefkada on his marriage to the
daughter of the Despot of Epirus, Nikiforos I, as part of the dowry she brought
with her. It is one of the most imposing castles of its era and is an excellent
example of Medieval fortress architecture. The castle was conquered by the Turks
in 1479 who built a large, arched bridge with 360 arches, which cut across the
lagoon from the coast to Kalkanis. This bridge supported the pipes of the Turkish
aqueduct used to bring water to the castle. The bridge dominated the whole area
but was destroyed, however, in the earthquakes. Some traces of its remains can
be seen within the lagoon. The various conquerors who passed through have left
indelible marks on the castle, which put up a courageous resistance to even the
most powerful of earthquakes. The church of Ayia Mavra (Santa Maura) which is
inside the castle is fully preserved. The castle is currently undergoing careful
restoration work in order to restore it to its original design. On entering the
town the visitor is welcomed by the great poets of Lefkada: the park of the poets
contains the busts of Aristotelis Valaoritis, Angelos Sikelianos and Lafcadio
Hearn as well as that of Kleareti Dipla-Malamou.
This extract is cited April 2004 from the Prefecture of Lefkada URL below, which contains images
AGIOS PETROS (Village) LEFKADA
MEGANISSI (Island) IONIAN ISLANDS
TSOUKALADES (Village) LEFKADA
LEFKADA (Town) IONIAN ISLANDS
Behind Saint Spyridon Square is the house which was the birthplace of the scholar and translator Lefkadio Hearn.
Beside the library is the house where the great poet Aggelos Sikelianos was born.
PIGADISSANI (Village) LEFKADA
The village of Pigadisanoi is a beautiful village with stone-built houses on the
edge of the plain, clambering over a verdant precipitous slope One of the main
attractions of the village is the church of the Ayioi Anaryiroi.
There is an old horse-drawn oil press in the vicinity; known as 'Koukouliotis,'
it is still preserved in a good condition.
There are several windmills and watermills nearby, evidence that the
place was always rich in crops. The old folk describe how in the past many of
the region's watermills were set out in a row, one below the other, and that they
were powered by the same water. All the mills were privately owned. Inside the
mill would be the miller's bed, the corner with the fireplace, and his household
would always be poor.
The first windmills most likely appeared at the beginning of the 18th
century. Sources collected by the professor of folklore P. Kontomichis show that
in 1760 there were already at least 60 windmills throughout the whole of Lefkada.
Evidence supplied by older residents suggests that there were over ten in this
particular region. The watermill at Anemomylia (which means 'windmill') is the
property of the Municipalit of Karya and it will soon be restored with its machinery
and sails, adding to the beauty of the local environment.
This extract is cited April 2004 from the Prefecture of Lefkada URL below, which contains images
AGIOS ILIAS (Village) LEFKADA
Near the village, at Bisa, is the Monastery of Ayios Georgios. Its foundation
is estimated to have taken place in the late 16th-early 17th century, at any rate
not later than 1620. It was never a large monastery but was, however, very rich
and with many possessions. The small church has been extended in an easterly direction
and was once filled with wall-paintings, very few of which survive today. The
local residents say that in 1922 the church was used as a place of isolation for
people suffering from smallpox. After the epidemic, in order to disinfect the
church, the walls were pounded and whitewashed. A portion of the newer iconostasis
of the mid-18th century, with excellent wood-carvings, survives, including two
icons, one of the Theotokos (Virgin) and one of Christ. The Archaeological Service
has found the remains of ancient towers at Marmara, Pyrgi and Kleismatia.
This extract is cited April 2004 from the Prefecture of Lefkada URL below, which contains images
APOLPENA (Village) LEFKADA
The monument is located in the village of Apolpaina, 2 km. to
the south of Leucas. It is a single-aisled, wooden-roofed church, with a three-sided
apse at the east, which has a bilobe window. The walls are built with unworked
stones but the lower parts and the apse are distinguished by the use of the "cloisonne"
masonry (stones enclosed by bricks). The main entrance is in the north wall of
the church. Fragments of the wall paintings are preserved on the south and east
walls of the interior. The east wall was covered with a monumental representation
of the Ascension, which has been removed and is now kept in the Byzantine Museum
of Athens.
The
church of Panaghia Hodeghetria was the catholicon (main church) of a monastery.
It was built in the middle of the 15th century and is one of the oldest Byzantine
monuments on Leucas. According to tradition, in this monastery hermited Helen
Palaeologhina, sister of John VIII Palaeologos and mother-in-law of the last duke
of Leucas, Leonardos II Tokkos. The iconographic program of the wall paintings
in the church is probably connected to her. The frescoes are dated to the middle
of the 15th century and are distinguished for the fine workmanship. In the beginning
of the 18th century, the church became the metochion (dependence) of the monastery
of Saint John Theologos at Karya, and had considerable real estate until 1927,
when it was purchased by the Greek state.
The south wall of the enclosure and its north supporting wall were
reconstructed in 1977. The lintel of the gate of the circuit wall and its Byzantine
inscription were cleared and restored and the pictorial decoration of the walls
was freed of all the recent coatings. Consolidation work of the masonry was carried
out in 1960 and 1980.
The monument is used as a church but opens only on certain days of
the year.
In 1960, the greatest part of the wall paintings, which were painted
over, was revealed. Their cleaning was completed in 1969, under the auspices of
the Archaeological Society, and 14 fragments were removed and transferred to the
conservation workshop of the Byzantine Museum in Athens.
SPANOCHORI (Village) LEFKADA
At Spanochori there is a very old monastery dedicated to the Prophet Ilias. From
old documents we learn that the church was given, in a dilapidated state, by the
Venetian government to the cleric Meletius Vonasieris, who rebuilt the monastery.
Under his direction, the small monastery acquired much land and became wealthy.
Gradually, however, the bad administration and embezzlement by the later heads
led to the monastery's decline. Finally, in 1815, it became public property. Successive
fires have destroyed a large part of the monastery.
This extract is cited April 2004 from the Prefecture of Lefkada URL below, which contains images
VOURNIKAS (Village) LEFKADA
The north section of the region has many interesting natural and cultural
features which, even though they have not yet been developed for tourism, are
well worth seeing. The dilapidated monastery of Ayios Ioannis can be reached on
the route up towards Syvro,
five kilometres south of the village of Vournika, at the quiet and peaceful spot
of Rodaki from which the whole of the gulf of Vasiliki
can be seen.
This monastery is one of the most interesting on the island and was
most likely built in 1654. The church is built over the floor of a large ancient
Doric temple most likely dedicated to Demeter, the goddess of agriculture and
fertility. For this reason it is said that any childless couple that steps over
the threshold of the church and follows the service will then have a child. There
are even traces of the ancient temple, such as the Doric column capitals and part
of the paved floor. The original church was continuously expanded, the number
of monks' cells increased and auxiliary areas built. In the late 18th century
the monastery became public property and in 1797 it was given over to the Monastery
of Asomatos Vafkeris. The church is in a fairly good condition, within a large
precinct. It has two entrances and a separate seating area for women. Sections
of the paintings on the east wall of the church are well-preserved and rendered
in an exceptional artistic style. The austere figure of the Platytera (the Virgin)
can be seen in the apse above the altar. In the prothesis is a painting of the
Akra Tapeinosi, followed by Ayios Stefanos and Ayios Romanos. The delicate and
elegant technique used in the paintings is still obvious, despite their deteriorated
condition.
This extract is cited April 2004 from the Prefecture of Lefkada URL below, which contains images
LEFKADA (Town) IONIAN ISLANDS
The central square of the town. The name is taken from the adjacent church of the same name which dominates the square. Around about there are coffee shops, confectioneries, restaurants.
MARADOCHORI (Village) LEFKADA
KASTOS (Island) IONIAN ISLANDS
The island's sights also include the windmills. These are all privately owned,
as is the case everywhere else. It is said that one of the windmills has been
preserved with its motor intact and it is quite probable that this is the best
preserved one in the whole of the Ionian Sea region. It operated until 1949. Another
windmill stands tall and imposing on the hill above Kastos and, if it still had
all its installations, it would be even more impressive. The windmills are evidence
that in the past the residents of the island systematically cultivated the land
and that they had substantial produce.
This extract is cited April 2004 from the Prefecture of Lefkada URL below, which contains images
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