Historical Sights in Naxos City (Chora)

Naxos is closely associated with Greek mythology. It was on Naxos island that an ungrateful Theseus is said to have abandoned Ariadne after she helped him escape the Ctetan labyrinth. She didn’t pine long and was soon entwined with Dionysos. Naxos was a cultural center of classical Greece and Byzantium, while Venetian and Frankish influences have left their mark. It is almost impossible not to get lost in the old town and maps are of little use.

The castle of Naxos was constructed by Marco Sanoudo in 1207. The natural acropolis that forms the hill next to the harbor was considered the right place for a city to be founded. For the fortification of this city he built a castle by using materials from the ancient acropolis that were at the same place and were destroyed by previous raids. Several Venetian mansions survive in the center of Kastro and you can see the outside of his castle, The Tower of Sanoudos and ursulines college.

The Metropolis museum, a haunting place where glass panels underfoot reveal ancient foundations and larger areas of excavated buildings.

The archaeological museum with fascinating finds from the Ionic and Doric eras.

The Venetian Museum, an atmospheric museum that housed in a handsome old tower house of the 13 th century.

The Sanctuary of Yria is located just 6km from the center of the island and is dedicated to the god Dionysos, a temple that was built in the 6th century BC. You will see finds of great importance that confirm the world’s architectural history of the island in the international literature.