Exploring Wonderful Chora, Amorgos – Greece, Spring 2025

Chora Windmills, Castle, and Town, Hike from Chora to Katapola, Monastery of Agios Georgios Valsamitis, Good Friday Procession

After my visit to the Chozoviotissa Monastery, I returned to Chora and made my way to the arched gateway at the edge of the village,

turned right at the chapel, and there was my lovely accommodation (the sage-coloured door is mine, and the blue door belongs to my hosts.)

I had a refreshing shower, and then enjoyed a quiet afternoon doing a bit of laundry, and not much of anything else.

Later, after a simple dinner, I was ready to go out and explore Chora. It is such a pretty village!

I made my way to the ridge of windmills, just behind and above Chora, and from there I caught my first sight of the dramatic jut of rock that rises from the top of the hill, topped by the ruined walls of an early 13th century Venetian castle.

Then my attention was back on the windmills!

There were ten altogether, and I walked up, down, and all over the undulating ridge, enjoying the beautiful evening air and light, and the plethora of views in every direction.

There were views of neighbouring ridges, terraced hillsides, tucked-away chapels, and the distant sea. It was marvellous!

Even down low! I found two new flowers yet again. I was thrilled (and surprised) to see tiny purple irises scattered here and there around the hillside, and there were also patches of what I think is red anemone.

All of the vegetation on this rocky ridge was low-growing, including the purple geraniums that grew taller elsewhere, and many different kinds of grasses.

I took photo after photo of the windmills and, as at Chozoviotissa, I did not want to leave this incredibly beautiful place.

And, views of the village kept drawing my eye as well,

with its dramatic rock fortress which provided protection from pirate raids for much of the 13th to 17th centuries.

I made my way back down into the village and headed in the direction of the castle, but I was highly diverted on the way! Chora has almost thirty churches and chapels!

There were doors to photograph, in greens,

and blues,

and sleepy cats on colourful taverna chairs.

A few more lanes, chapels, and squares to pass,

and I finally arrived near the base of the castle rock, with the buildings here looking distinctly older.

I circled around to the back of the rock to find the Church of Saint George clinging to its side. Earlier in the day I had been told that the door of the church (and access to the top of the rock) is usually locked, but that it might be open because the church was being newly painted.

I climbed up the narrow stone steps, and was careful at the top of the curve to not fall down and into the remains of a castle tower!

The door was open, as was the next, (though not a third small door into the church), so I could pass through and onto the top of the rock!

I rose up to the flag, and I was all alone up there, with the fresh evening breeze blowing, and I loved it! There were views to the southwest of the island,

and over the roof of the church to the northwest.

and to the west I was able to see all ten windmills aligned on the ridge beyond the village.

Once again, I didn’t want to leave! When I did finally descend, I went very very slowly down those narrow curving stairs. It is always more scary going down than up!

At the bottom, I began to complete my circuit around the base of castle rock,

and around the curve was another church, quite small and very atmospheric.

It had a small gated courtyard where someone had planted rose bushes, and there were beautifully carved stones at the two top corners of the doorway.

I read later that it is named the church of Kyra Ieousa, and that it predates the Monastery of Chozoviotissa and is probably the oldest church in Chora. I left the church, turned back for this view,

and continued my circuit around the base of the rock until I returned to where I had started. Then, I slowly made my way back through the narrow village lanes to my apartment. It had truly been an exceptional and marvellous day, with my visit to Chozoviotissa, and my exploration of the village, and I was so glad that I had travelled to beautiful Amorogos.

The following morning, I set out on a hike to see another historical and very interesting monastery that I had read about, the Agios Georgios Valsamitis. This monastery had been built over an ancient sacred spring associated with Apollo and an Oracle. I set out on a centuries-old pathway, along the sides of a hill, with views of terraces all around,

and I had soon left Chora far behind.

Initially, I had planned to hike to the Valsamitis monastery, a distance of about 3.5 kilometres, and then return to Chora, but when the sea and Katapola came into view in the distance, I decided that I would hike the entire way there and return to Chora by taxi.

It was wonderful walking along the path, on scented hillsides, and after a short section of road walking, I could see the monastery ahead, with the remains of an old water mill on the hillside above it.

This monastery had been a nunnery for centuries, but was abandoned in the 1797.  It had been built over an ancient sacred spring that was dedicated to Apollo.  The spring was associated with the “Oracle of the Speaking Water” and women had traditionally been the interpreters of the Oracle’s messages.  I learned that, in recent years, a single Orthodox Greek nun, Irini, moved in, restored the monastery, and brought the gardens to life, and that she lived there alone, painting icons, and welcoming visitors.

But, I had learned on my visit to Chozoviotissa that Sister Irini is no longer at the monastery, and that a monk is now in residence, but no explanation was given as to why she had left. I felt sad about that, having hoped to meet her. I called, “Hello? Hello?” as I entered through the gate. It was Good Friday, and I did not want to disturb any services or devotion that might be taking place, but there was no one there. All was quiet, and I had the beautiful place to myself.

I sat on a low stone wall in the courtyard, under the welcome shade of a tree, to rest, have a snack, and absorb the history of this place. I wished that I could have met Irini, and seen the ancient spring that still flows inside a recess in the church. Eventually, it was time to say goodbye and carry on. I continued on the path to Katapola, with this last view back.

For the rest of the hike, I had views of the sea and Katapola pulling me forward,

but there is always value in looking back to where one has been.

Chora looked very far away, high on the distant hill. It always amazes me how far one can walk in a short time, and it is gratifying to see the results of all of those steps! And none of it was onerous, as everything one sees is new and exciting. Every step is a step that I have never taken before, and new views always emerge. Later in the hike, I was happy to see some cultivated terraces, planted with wheat, and nearby there were some hilltop ruins and an old threshing circle.

I soon reached the Church of the Holy Cross, Stavros,

where I sat again, on a convenient chair in the shade, to rest and enjoy the quiet of the place. I had not yet seen another person since leaving Chora.

It was a very beautiful small church, and I loved the views back over the hillsides of the valley that I had traversed.

Now, I had a choice to make as the trailhead to climb Ancient Minoa was directly across from me and would require a diversion of only about an hour, up and back, but it was hot, and my heart and brain felt very full. Also, if I did not climb up to Ancient Minoa today, it might be more likely that I would return one day to Amorgos. So, I continued on, down to Katapola,

where I walked along the waterfront, back to where I would catch Dina’s taxi back up to Chora. I had to wait about fifteen minutes, but that was fine, looking at this view, with Ancient Minoa and the beautiful sea strengthening their case for my possible return!

The ride back up to Chora was just as thrilling as the first time, with dizzying curves and heart-stopping views down (always scarier when someone else is driving!), and I arrived to a quiet Chora, where the cats were again napping on taverna chairs in the mid-afternoon heat, and there was something new. All of the streets were strewn with stems of oregano, taken from the hills.

There were also blackened canisters filled with fibre and fuel along laneways, and I was told that there would be a procession that evening at nine p.m., from the main church through the streets of the village, called the Epitaphios (mourning). A decorated bier, representing Christ’s tomb, would be carried all around the streets of the village, with the fire-lit cans decorating side lanes along the way. I was assured that I would be welcome, so I ventured out close to nine and found myself at the main square which was full of people outside of the church, talking quietly in groups. You could sense that this was a tradition most had participated in since they were children. There was beautiful singing coming from the church, and there was room for me to venture inside and watch the service and the beginnings of the procession. I joined the crowd outside, and made my way through the village with others, aware that this tradition has likely been performed here for well over a thousand years. It was incredibly special to be there to witness and participate in the procession.

It was also a very special way to end my two days in Chora, and I was reluctant to leave this beautiful village, but I knew that the next village, Lagada, and its surrounding hills would be special as well. I was so glad that I had chosen Amorgos as the finale to my Greek islands visit.