Saints in White

Mykonos is an absolutely beautiful Greek island in the Agean Sea.  The first two thing you notice (after the stunningly blue sea) are the buildings and the large number of churches.  On a tour yesterday, my tour guide shared some interesting facts about both.

The cliffs and harbors of Mykonos are littered with gleaming white buildings, most of which are trimmed in blue and only a few stories high at most.  This is the traditional architecture of Mykonos, that dates back centuries, and is now required for all buildings on the island.  This signature look of the Greek Islands was born out of necessity rather than vanity.

In times past, many Mykonians were sailors.  To help protect them and ensure safe return from the sea, most families built private churches where they could pray.  These family owned Greek Orthodox Churches were usually located next to or near the family home, and were dedicated to one of the patron saints.  Popular choices were St. Nicholas, patron saint of sailors; the Virgin Mary, patron saint of the island; and St. George, patron saint of soldiers.  There are over 1000 of these churches on Mykonos, and though still used for prayers regularly, mass is usually only said on the feast of the saint for which the church is named (which means on the feasts of St. George and St. Nicholas, the priests are really, really busy).

The white walls of the buildings on Mykonos also served a very specific purpose years ago.  Prior to the advent of modern medicine, plagues were a frequent occurrence and a constant concern.  To help keep their families safe and healthy, Mykonians would paint their houses with lime several times a year, since lime kills bacteria.  The lime was made by taking marble from nearby Delos island (the former commerce hub of the area) and burning it until it turned to lime.  This could then be painted onto buildings disinfecting them while at the same time giving them that beautiful while look.

The oldest church on Mykonos (below) combines the two best known attributes of Mykosos beautifully!

Just a note:  being in a completely different time zone and having limited internet access might mean that more than one post will appear on some days on none on others, but I promise (I really, really do) that I am being faithful to my pledge and each post represents one day of previous learning.  So there!