Sifnos - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.

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Sifnos
Sifnos (Greek: Σίφνος)[2] is an island municipality
in the Cyclades island group in Greece. The main Sifnos
town, near the center, known as Apollonia (pop. 869 Σίφνος
as of 2011), is home of the island's folklore museum
Municipality
and library. The town's name is thought to come
from an ancient temple of Apollo on the site of the
church of Panayia Yeraniofora. The second-largest
town is Artemonas (pop. 800 as of 2011), thought to
be named after an ancient temple of Apollo's sister
Artemis, located at the site of the church of Panayia
Kokhi. The village of Kastro (pop. 118 as of 2011),
was the capital of the island during ancient times
until 1836. It is built on top of a high cliff on the
island's east shore and today has extensive medieval
remains and is the location of the island's
Villages of Apollonia and Katavathi seen
archeological museum. The port settlement, on the from Ano Petali
west coast of the island is known as Kamares (pop.
245 as of 2011).[3]

Geography

Location within the region [show]

Bay of Kamares

Sifnos lies in the Cyclades between Serifos and Milos,

west of Delos and Paros, about 130 km (81 mi) (80
nautical miles) from Piraeus (Athens' port). The
municipality has an area of 73.942 square kilometres
(28.549 sq mi)[4] and is 15 km (9 mi) long and 7.5 km
(4.7 mi) wide. It has a shoreline of 70 km (43 mi), Coordinates: 36°59′21″N 24°40′7″E
with a permanent population of 2,625. The island is Country Greece
served by the ferries which run on the Piraeus – Administrative South Aegean
Kythnos – Serifos – Sifnos – Milos – Kimolos line region
and via Naxos. There are also infrequent sailings to Regional unit Milos
other islands in the Cyclades. Government

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To the south of the island, about 350 meters from the • Mayor Maria Nadali (since
coast there is an uninhabited island, Kitriani. 2019)
Area
• Municipality 73.94 km2
History (28.55 sq mi)
Highest elevation 679 m (2,228 ft)
Lowest elevation 0 m (0 ft)

Population (2021)[1]
• Municipality 2,777
• Density 38/km2 (97/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST) UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code 840 03
Frieze of the Siphnian Treasury in Area code(s) 22840
Delphi
Vehicle EM
registration
Sifnos was inhabited by human beings from at least Website www.sifnos.gr (htt
4000 BCE. [5] Archeological evidence indicates the p://www.sifnos.gr)
island was within the mainstream of Late Neolithic
and Early Bronze Age Cycladic civilization. The island was
very wealthy in ancient times, thanks to its gold, silver, and
lead, which were being mined there as early as the 3rd
millennium BCE.[6] Proof of this is the treasury which the
Siphnians built at Delphi in the 6th century BCE to house
their offerings. According to Pausanias, these mines were
obliterated by floods in ancient times, a disaster which some
attributed to the people of the island suspending their
tribute out of greed.[7][8] Modern scholars suggest that some Entrance of a mine

of the mines flooded because they had eventually been dug

to a depth below sea level,[9] while the majority of them,
situated far from the sea, were probably exhausted.[10]
Remains of ancient mines, some dating back to prehistoric
times, are still to be seen on the island, most notably at Ay.
Sostis, and remains of ancient fortifications, dating from the
third millennium to the sixth century BCE, have been found
at Ay. Andreas, Ay. Nikitas, and Kastro.[11] Another
indication of Sifnos's wealth is the fact that it was one of the
first places in Greece to mint coins, beginning around 600
BCE, although the number minted does not seem to have
been great, and the island of Aegina, which used Siphnian
silver, seems to have developed a much greater export
capacity in this form of the metal.[12]

During the extensive Greek migrations which occurred

Apollonia
beginning perhaps as early as the 12th century BCE, Sifnos
was mostly populated by Ionian Greeks from Athens. The
island appears only rarely in the subsequent ancient history of Greece. In the sixth century BCE

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it was invaded by pirates from Samos. In the fifth century

BCE, Sifnos was an official member of the Greek defensive
alliance formed to fight the Persian Wars. In the next
century the island was briefly taken over by the Persians but
liberated by a fleet sent by Alexander the Great.[13] The verb
"to play the Siphnian"[14] appears in a fragment of
Aristophanes, and is explained in the Suda alongside "to
Lesbianize" as a reference to transgression.[15][16]
Artemonas
Little is known of Sifnos during the Roman and Byzantine
eras, though three Roman sarcophagi remaining in the
streets of Kastro and a collection of 80 Byzantine coins in
the museum there testify to substantial continued
population during those times. In the early 14th century
Sifnos came under the power of the Italian or Spanish
Hospitaller Januli I da Corogna, who proclaimed the island
independent from the Sanudo dynasty which then ruled
most of the Cyclades area. The Corognas ruled Sifnos for
over a hundred years; around 1440 as a result of a dynastic
Kastro village
marriage power over the island passed to a Bolognese
family, the Gozzadini, who ruled until 1617, the last of these
rulers being Nikolas. Though both these dynasties became
thoroughly Hellenized, they retained their Roman Catholic
form of religion, and during the 1800s the Sifniotes
continued to take pride in their Latin ancestry.[17][18]

Little is also known of Sifnos during the Ottoman rule from

1617. It seems likely that, as in most of the Cyclades,
Ottoman rule on Sifnos was fairly loose, consisting mainly of
the collection of taxes, with the islanders largely Church of Chryssopigí monastery
administering their own affairs. By the early 17th century
Sifnos was a significant commercial center, and from 1821
the island played an important role in the Greek War of Independence.[19]

Notable figures from Sifnos in modern times include the educator and revolutionary leader
Nikolaos Chrysogelos (1780–1858), who served as Greece's Minister of Education, and the chef
Nikolaos Tselementes (1878–1958), who wrote a classic cookery book still used in Greece today.
[20]

The island's rich clay veins, sunny weather and temperature have made Sifnos a capital of
pottery in the Aegean, with unique jars and pots that are a "trademark" of the island. They are
typical of the Sifnian everyday life, such as ashtrays, cooking and food vessels, "masteles",
"foufoudes" (kind of chimneys) etc. Locally, 'Sifnios' was a variant word for potter. The oldest
potteries were found in central regions such as Artemon and Ano Petali to avoid pirate attacks.

Beaches
The most famous ones are:

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Cherónnisos (Χερόννησος)
Pouláti (Πουλάτη)
Fáros (Φάρος)
Platís Gialós (Πλατύς Γιαλός)
Vathí (Βαθύ)
Apokoftó (Αποκοφτό)
Vroulídia (Βρουλίδια)
Fykiáda (Φυκιάδα)
Chrysopigí (Χρυσοπηγή)
Kamáres (Καμάρες)

Churches
There are 360 churches in the island of Sifnos, as per the days of the year, more than any other
island in Cyclades. It is no coincidence, the large number of festivals held on the island almost
every month. Many churches and monasteries of the island are historical sites with great
religious and architectural interest. The most important one is the monastery of Panagia
Chryssopigi. One of the most "popular" churches of the island, is one of the Seven Martyrs,
where many couples choose to get married. Still, Panagia Poulati is renowned both for its beauty
and the landscape that surrounds it.

Religious festivals (Panigiria)

Several religious festivals are held during the summer.

In July
St. Marina in Flabouro in the evening of the 17th
Prophet Helias (2 events both in the evening of the 19th: on the top of the tallest
mountain-also known as Prophet Helias the tall and in Troullaki respectively)
In August
Holy Virgin (Panagia) on the 15th. There are many events on the following days.
Panagia tou Nigiou, in the evening of the 16th
Panagia Platanissa, in the evening of the 16th
Panagia to Toso Nero, in the evening of the 17th
St.Symeon in the evening of the 31st
[21]

Cuisine
Local dishes:

Mastelo: goat or lamb marinated in red wine and dill, cooked in special clay pot – called
mastelo – in a wood fired oven. Traditionally served on Holy Saturday evening, during
Orthodox Easter.
Revithada: chickpea soup cooked overnight in a wood-fired oven, in clay cooking pots called
skepastaria. Traditionally served after Sunday church services.

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Manoura Sifnou: local cheese

Omega3, a high-end seafood restaurant located in the southern seaside town of Platys Gialos,
offers sushi and other non-traditional dishes. It has been visited by numerous celebrities,
including Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and Tom Hanks.

Historical population
Year Population

1951[22] 2,773

1981[23] 2,856

2001[4] 2,574

2011[24] 2,625

2021[1] 2,777

Subdivisions
The municipality Sifnos is subdivided into the following districts and villages:

Apollonia (Apollonia, Vathy, Kamares, Kastro, Kato Petali, Platys Gialos, Faros, Chrysopigi)
Artemonas (Artemonas, Agia Marina, Troulaki, Cherronisos)

People
Patriarch Gregory VII of Constantinople (1850-1924)
Patriarch Hierotheus II of Alexandria (?-1858)
Aristomenis Provelengios (1850-1936), poet and politician
Nikolaos Tselementes (1878-1958), chef
Nikos Chrysogelos (born 1959), politician

Gallery

Artemonas, Madonna View of Vathi The small church of Windmills in Kastro

of Bali Vathi

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Apollonia, steps to Apollonia, steps to Poulati beach Quarry on Sifnos

the centre Ano Petali

A small church Apollonia, view to

Kato Petali

See also
Communities of the Cyclades

References
1. "Αποτελέσματα Μόνιμου Πληθυσμού κατά δημοτική κοινότητα" (https://www.statistics.gr/doc
uments/20181/17286366/MON_PLI_DHM_KOIN_2021.xlsx) (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical
Authority. 21 April 2023.
2. The spelling Siphnos is obsolete in English but still by convention often used to refer to the
island in ancient times.
3. Barber, Robin, Blue Guide Greece. 6th ed., London, A & C Black, 1995, p. 665
4. "Population & housing census 2001 (incl. area and average elevation)" (http://dlib.statistic
s.gr/Book/GRESYE_02_0101_00098%20.pdf) (PDF) (in Greek). National Statistical Service
of Greece.
5. Maranti, Anna Siphnos: The Brilliance of Apollo. Athens, Toubis, 2002, p. 18
6. Fitton, J. Lesley, Cycladic Art, London, British Museum, 1989, p. 13, 57.
7. Herodotus III.57
8. Pausanias X.11
9. Bury, J. D. and Meiggs, Russell, A History of Greece to the Death of Alexander the Great.
4th ed., New York, St. Martin's Press, 1978, p. 135
10. Some Aspects of Lead and Silver Mining in the Aegean (http://www.therafoundation.org/artic
les/geology/someaspectsofleadandsilverminingintheaegean) Archived (https://web.archive.o
rg/web/20110719060137/http://www.therafoundation.org/articles/geology/someaspectsoflea
dandsilverminingintheaegean) 2011-07-19 at the Wayback Machine, VII
11. Barber pp. 665-666.

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12. Maranti p. 20.

13. Hammond, N. G. L., A History of Greece to 322 bc, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1967,
pp. 82, 88, 199, 226, 608.
14. Liddell, Henry George; Robert Scott (1940). "A Greek–English Lexicon: σιφνιάζω" (https://w
ww.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aalphabetic+l
etter%3D*s111%3Aentry+group%3D30%3Aentry%3Dsifnia%2Fzw). Oxford University
Press (via Perseus Project). Retrieved 17 July 2012.
15. "Suda On Line: Σιφνιάζειν" (http://www.stoa.org/sol-bin/search.pl?login=guest&enlogin=gues
t&db=REAL&field=adlerhw_gr&searchstr=sigma,510). The Stoa Consortium. Retrieved
17 July 2012.
16. Henderson, Jeffrey (1975). The Maculate Muse: Obscene Language in Attic Comedy (http
s://books.google.com/books?id=aBsR2BEuAq0C&pg=PA213). Yale University Press.
p. 213. ISBN 978-0-300-01786-1.
17. Bent, J. Theodore (1885). The Cyclades :or, life among the insular Greeks (http://hdl.handl
e.net/2027/mdp.39015028327800). London. p. 28.
18. Hetherington, Paul, The Greek Islands: Guide to the Byzantine and Medieval Buildings and
their Art. London, Quiller, 2001, pp. 301-302
19. Maranti pp. 27-28
20. Maranti p. 34, 42.
21. Sifnos2day.gr (http://sifnos2day.gr/index.php/en/) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/201
61029112033/http://sifnos2day.gr/index.php/en/) 2016-10-29 at the Wayback Machine
22. "Detailed census results 1951" (http://dlib.statistics.gr/Book/GRESYE_02_0101_00031.pdf)
(PDF). (in Greek and English)
23. "Detailed census results 1981" (http://dlib.statistics.gr/Book/GRESYE_02_0101_00079.pdf)
(PDF). (in Greek and English)
24. "Απογραφή Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2011. ΜΟΝΙΜΟΣ Πληθυσμός" (http://www.statistics.gr/d
ocuments/20181/1210503/resident_population_census2011rev.xls) (in Greek). Hellenic
Statistical Authority.

External links
Sifnos travel guide from Wikivoyage
Municipality of Sifnos (in Greek) (http://www.sifnos.gr/dimos/)

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