 Location |
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Psara is located 12 miles from the Northwest coast of Chios. The island is 9km long and 5km wide.
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 Population |
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Today less then 500 people inhabit the island.
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 History |
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During the Ottoman period many Greeks settled on this island to escape the Turkish oppression. The inhabitants from Psara, Chios and Oinousses became successful ship owners by the 19th century. The Psarians were among the first Greek’s to revolt against the Turk’s in 1821. Then In 1824 the Turk’s attacked the island and killed more then 17,000 Greek’s; only 3000 escaped. The island has never really recovered from this event, that the Greeks today call the ‘holocaust’. Today most of the islanders live in the island’s one small village, also called Psara.
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 Religion |
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This topic is not island-specific. It applies to the nation of Greece.
Orthodox Christianity is the recognized dominant religion of Greece and it is legally protected by the state. This has caused legal discrimination against non-Orthodox Churches, and although the constitution of 1975 removed the power of most of the old laws against Protestants, problems still exist today. There is a lot of fear towards anything outside of the Orthodox Church, especially on the islands. However, repeated rulings of the European Court of Justice in favour of religious minorities in cases of discrimination have led to a relative increase of the freedoms that these religious minorities now enjoy. |
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 Saints |
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Most of the saints are honored on this island and the Orthodox Church is highly respected.
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 Prayer |
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-That the outreach will enable the gospel of salvation to be shared
-That the people on the island will realize their need for God and their eyes will be opened to the truth and love of God through reading the Bible for themselves.
-That God will work in the lives of all the God-fearing religious people already living on this island, and bring healing & refreshment to their lives.
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 Miscellaneous |
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Two major sights; Ruins from the temple of Poseidon from the 6th century BC and the monastery ‘Zoodochos Pigis’ (meaning ‘life-giving source’)
Admiral, Kaniris was born in Psara.
Since beaches are situated in sheltered like bays they are very calm
Regular ferryboats to and from Pireaus every day and to the other Saronic and Cyclade islands
Nearest airport is in Athens!
Daily excursion to the Acropolis, Mycenae, Delphi, Epidauros and Naupflion.
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 Celebrations |
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The celebrations on the islands usually revolve around the Saints, and there is a big celebration at Easter in the Orthodox Church.
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 Resources |
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www.greektravel.com
www.in2greece.com
www.harrys-60-greek-islands-guide.com
www.worldtravelgate.org
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