Amorgos
The famous amorgos flax – linum is said to have given the name to the island we visited today at the most eastern part of the Cyclades. From this plant they produced delicate, sensuous, purple Amorgian tunics that were to be bought in the ancient markets of Athens. Many other endemic plants, like the Amorgian bellflower are to be found throughout this ragged and rocky island.
Amorgos lies across the waters of the Aegean like a sharp arrow signaling the way to the east. Some of the greatest marble figurines of the Cycladic civilization have been excavated on the island, presenting the human body in the simplest of lines remaining up until this day a source of inspiration to modern artists.
Three Greek city-states were founded on this same small island, all minting their own coins and in the end forming a federation between them, a Tripolis.
There is something magic about the island, the high and abrupt mountains against the endless blue of the sea. Nestling in the foot of grim, craggy, towering cliffs on the inhospitable south coast of the island stands the dazzling white monastery gleaming like a dragon’s egg. The monastery of Hozoviotissa that can only be seen from the sea catches one’s eye like a white painting hanging between the sky and the sea. It was founded in 1088 after an icon floated miraculously in the boat all the way from Hozova of Palestine in order to be saved. The 365 steps that led up to it did not intimidate us from climbing to the top. The views of the abrupt cliffs against the endless blue and the white of the monastery drew us towards it.
We experienced the relationship of the sharing harmony between the architecture and the landscape, respecting one another. The walls of the monastery were 20 meters high, built into the cave, though this amazing structure was only about five meters of width, extending with narrow staircases up eight floors. How was man able to cut the rock and create such a structure in such a limited place? We climbed to the very top and into the church and right in the corner was the “Black Eyed” Virgin. Time darkened the icon giving it such unique characteristics. This icon had been the life hood of so many generations of monks, Amorgians and pilgrims. The tokens of their love were hanging all around the icon; jewelry, silver engravings with efharisto – thank you written on it. The two monks that we met had spent almost all their lives in this unique world! They narrated to us of how rocks have been falling of these cliffs but none of them have ever destroyed the monastery.
We were offered a local drink for our welcome, rakomelo. This is made from raki, an alcoholic drink, honey and cinnamon. We drove to the Hora, meaning the capital of the island that was circled with windmills just above it on the windiest of spots. We meandered out way through the windy whitewashed streets, one church, and then another, and then what lines and curves and twists and colors did the houses have….the shades of flowers and trees falling one them, and then faces of the locals sitting in front of them just turned the whole scenery into a colorful and with such character painting.
Amorgos is sun and cliff, hardship and smile, storm and joviality…one of the many remote Greek islands where one-thousand-eight-hundred-and-sixty-souls live not only in the summer but through the long and windy winter cut off entirely from the rest of the world...perhaps this is a nicer one after all…Amorgos; I hold you within myself forever.
