You may think that the term “village” does not fit to the lifestyle dictionary of Mykonos, but the absolute Greek destination contradicts you as it has one more hidden ace up its sleeve, Ano Mera. The second settlement of the island derived of the consolidation of many villages –in the local dialect the term has the meaning of the autonomous residence next to a farmland- 8km away from Chora. The misleading first compound of the place-name –Ano- may bring you to mind Ano and Kato Panagia or Ano & Kato Koufonisi, but I will let you down, because Ano Mera does not have a “Kato” match…
UPWARDS
Unique by nature, calm and relaxing, Ano Mera seems like a pleasant break from the intense rhythms of Chora. It expects you to answer to its call and go uphill towards the open paved square which was formed just in 2001. To choose one of the little coffee-houses for a Greek coffee made in embers or one of the famous bfor quality meat-eating, that is to say sausages, exquisite stall steaks as well as the local louza. To look for the workshop of kopanisti and have some of that spicy cheese of goat milk straight from the horse’s mouth! If you are a woman, pamper yourself with facial and body therapies at the spa that you will find here. To walk up to the white peaceful monastery which is surrounded by the settling web and learn its history…
PANAGIA TOURLIANI
While seeing the tiny openings of the total white building, your thoughts go back to the times when the monks were throwing hot oil in order to repel each invader… if you have a discussion with one of the fathers of the monastery, you will be acquainted with its course throughout the years and its valuable help to the national struggles.
Well, according to tradition, in the beginning of the 16th century, the miraculous icon of Panagia Tourliani, made by evangelist Lukas, was found floating on the waters of Tourlos Beach. For fear of the pirates, locals thought appropriate to protect this godsent relic and transfer it to a safe place away from the sea. In this way, the icon came to Ano Mera…
The foundation stones for Panagia’s home were set in 1542 by two monks from Paros who founded the first cells as well as the church. However, the monastery of Tourliani took its final form almost two hundred years later, when in 1757, Ignatios Basoulas was obligated to retire to its inside and restore it. Dazzled by the treasures of the West Church, he had embraced Catholicism while he stayed in Italy but as soon as he returned in the ancestral land, regretted it and wanted to expiate. After ten years of work and disposal of a great part of his personal property, the reverend father could be proud of having built a sacred fortress with a terrific wooden curved iconostasis coated with sheets of gold made by Italian craftsmen… Today, you also can admire the most significant sightseeing of the area…
