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The Venetian Museum
The Venetian Museum is located in the old palazzi Della
Rokka-Barozzi and is run by a member of the family.
He is very interested in showing the way the dukes were living.
He offers tours in the museum, around the Kastro, and he organizes different
kinds of concerts during the season. Below the museum starts the old Greek
town "Bourgos" (monument safety).
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"KASTRO" - The Venetian Castle in
Naxos town
Naxos town is located under the Venetian Castle (Kastro), built by Marco
Sanudo after the fourth crusade.
He was part of the family of Enrico Dandolo, doge of Venice and participator
of the crusade.
Venice was the conqueror and Maro Sanudo founded, after occupying, the
duchy of the Cyclades with its capital in Naxos (1207).
The Kastro was built on dense constructions of the Middle Ages. The "Barozzi"
House is located at the southwestern gate of the Kastro and is still in
property of the family. The Barozzis were one of the 7 families who founded
Venice and were barons on Santorini between 1207-1335. One of the houses
of "Della Rokka", the old family "Del la Roche", great
dukes of Athens and Attica, has a nice shop "Antico Venetico"
selling old dishes, furniture and textiles in the backroom, reminding
the rule of the dukes. Actually, it is more or less a museum and has 4
columns of classical temples. Della Rokkas still own one of the eldest
pharmacies of the Cyclades (end of 19th century) in Naxos town.
The boarding school of the Ursulines is on the way to the Archaeological
Museum and it was visited until around 25 years ago. It was a place, where
well-to-do families used to send their girls for education and upbringing.
The Jesuit Commercial School, where Nikos Kazantzakis (author of Alexis
Zorbas) studied houses the Archaeological Museum today. The museum shows
founds of the roman, the classical and lots of things of the archaic period
of Naxos (5. - 6. century B.C.) - not to forget the idols of the Cyclades.
The Catholic Cathedral of Naxos, the diocese and a very old building
in the opposite, which must have been a retreat place for the Kastro and
now used as a water depot for Naxos town, are closed.
The old town was built about 3500 years ago but unfortunately there is
no remnant of this period left -not even relicts of the osmanic period.
The Bourgos invites with its nice little places, arches, little shops,
restaurants and taverns for an exciting walk.
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"PORTARA" - The Gate of the Apollo
Temple - Naxos Town
Everywhere you go you see the Portara… Close to Naxos port, on the
tiny island of Palatia (Dia), the remains of a marble gate "Portara"
can be found. It was built during the 6th century B. C. (530 - 540 B.
C.) under the rule of the tyrant Lygdamis and was meant to be a marble
temple worshiping the god Apollon. The gate is around 6m high and about
3,5m wide and was built with 4 separate columns. Now there are just 3
columns left. Some of the temple's stones were used as ordinary building
materials for the Kastro. It is believed that this temple should have
been dedicated to the god Apollo because the Portara is located to the
west where Delos is, the island of Apollon.
Apollon, sun of Zeus and Leto, was the god protecting music and poets
and was worshiped especially by young men because of his beauty and perfection.
The temple was left unfinished after the dictator abdicated. He was the
only dictator ever on Naxos.
Later, in the Middle Ages, when it was a habit building churches in the
old temples' area, a Christian church was temporarily erected behind the
Portara. Nowadays it is a popular place with foreign people getting married.
The ancient town of Naxos was located at the same place. Mythology says
that once Ariadne (daughter of King Minos of Crete) while sleeping was
left by Theseus in Naxos. Theseus (son of King Aegeas of Athens) was the
one who fought against Minotaurus, son of Minos' wife Pasiphai.
Minotaurus was half man, half bull. King Minos built a labyrinth where
Minotaurus had to live. Every ninth year they used to sacrifice 7 boys
and 7 virgin girls to Minotaurus. Theseus wanted to stop this massacre.
Ariadne was in love with Theseus and helped him to exit the labyrinth.
They left Crete together and were planning to go back to Athens but on
their way they stopped in Naxos.
Naxos is the island of god Dionysos, the god of wine and life. According
to some version of the story, Theseus left Ariadne because he met Dionysos
in his dream while they were sleeping on the little island Dia - where
Portara is. Dionysos told Theseus to leave Ariadne in Naxos because she
belonged to him. Dionysos and Ariadne got married and had three children
in Naxos, as Apollodoros says.
Theseus left Naxos and continued his trip to Athens. Before he faught
Minotaurus he had promised his father to hoist the white sail to let him
know that he survived. But they were celebrating the victory and so they
forgot to hoist the sail. King Aegeas thought his son is dead, jumped
from the Cape Sounion into the ocean and the part of the sea got its name,
the Aegean Sea. This myth gave Richard Strauss the inspirations for his
opera "Ariadne in Naxos".
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"GYROULAS TEMPLE" - Sangri
The ancient remains in the rural area of Gyroulas are better known as
"Demeter Temple". It was an archaic temple (ca. 530 B. C.) like
the Apollon temple "Portara" and was built by the tyrant of
Naxos, Lygdamis as well.
The temple is a rare example of a marble construction more than 50% of
the ancient building material of which is preserved. The hypostyle hall
shows that it was also erected for the celebration of the mysteries.
The building gives information about early forms of the Ionic and the
forerunners of the classic Attic architecture. There exists a well-preserved
phase of its Christian period, when it was changed into a church.
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