Culture of Zakynthos Island. Places to visit - old town, temples, theaters, museums and palaces

Zakynthos was inhabited in antiquity, and despite a serious earthquake that destroyed part of the island buildings in the 1950s, there are many beautiful monuments of ancient days. The capital, for example, has so far retained many Venetian style mansions, with galleries, loggias, and ocher-colored walls. Walking through the streets of Zakynthos, you can look into the monastery of St. Dionysius, built in the 16th century and preserved to this day almost unchanged. The relics of the patron saint of the island remains here, and the local residents are sure that every night Dionysius bypasses the island.

There is a monument to Dionysius Solas on the main square of the city, Platija Solomu, and another ancient religious building, the church of St. Nicholas. There is also the Byzantine Museum, which collection includes many exhibits that exhaustively illustrate the entire history of church painting from ancient times to the end of the 19th century. The exposition presents the works of Damaskin, Doxaras, Zanes, Kutuzis, Kallergis. A large collection of Hellenistic and Byzantine sculptures and statues is also interesting.

On St. Mark's Square you can see not only the cathedral of the same name but also a museum dedicated to the poet D. Solomonos and several other equally prominent inhabitants of the island. On Filikon Street you will find St. George's Church, known not only as an architectural monument but also as an important object in the history of the formation of independent Greece. This was the place, where the members of the secret circle "Filiki Eteria", who stood for the liberation uprising in 1821, swore their allegiance. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

If you climb the hill of Bohali, rising above the capital, you can get to the Venetian fortress. By the way, it was built on the ruins of an older, ancient structure, the ancient Greek acropolis of Psofis. Unfortunately, the Venetians destroyed the old building almost completely. The construction of the fortress began in the 12th century, and the last construction works here ended only in 1646. The structure impresses not only with its size but also with the perfect and practical brevity of features. For a long time, there was an active central point of defense of the island from pirates, it is impossible not to feel the military purpose of these walls. It is worthwhile to climb here not only for the sake of touching history but also for the magnificent view that opens onto the capital and port.

Those, who like the sea, should visit the Milanio Maritime Museum in the resort village of Tsilivi, which exposition tells about 4 thousand years of the history of Greek navigation. You can learn about the life and customs of local farmers in the agricultural museum of Vertzagio, which is located in the village of Pigadakia in the rural community of Alykes. Here you can learn about the traditional life of the Zakynthian settlement. The exposition presents home utensils, furniture, products of local masters. Some artifacts are already over 400 years old. To get acquainted with the natural world of the island you can visit the museum of natural history of Helmis in the village of Agia Marina – almost five hundred exhibits will tell you about the features of the flora, fauna, and soil of the island.

The Church of the Virgin Anafonitria, which can be found in the mountains near the island's capital, is known for its mystical history of origin. According to the legend, the church and the monastery were built on the place where a local resident found an icon from which the light came in waves. It was back in the 15th century. On Stamfanio, an island near Zakynthos, you can find the monastery of Metamorfosi Sotiros, which was built here in the 13th century and partially reconstructed in the 20th century after the earthquake. The ancient Mycenaean burials at Campi are much older. Their age has passed over 4 thousand years. The artifacts, which were found here, to this day attract the attention of prominent scientists, and the graves themselves are located above the caves of the sea, whose origin is unknown.