Medieval Settlement of Anavatos

Anavatos, nicknamed the “Mistras of the Aegean,” stands on Chios’s west side, perched above a sheer 450 m cliff. Sixteen kilometers from Chios town, steep to climb and built like a true fortress, it is awe-inspiring. It was a place of martyrdom, as, according to tradition, Chian women leapt to their deaths there—like at Zalongo—during the Massacre of Chios rather than fall into Ottoman hands. To this day the great Taxiarchis remains alive—the only structure that dominates from afar. Not far from the fortress’s only gate stands an imposing complex known as the “Three-Storey,” comprising the olive press, school, cistern, and the church of the Panagia. The settlement of Anavatos is a uniquely beautiful sight thanks to its tower-like houses, arches, vaults, and steep cobbled lanes.