The Apollon Theatre combines architectural history with a varied cultural programme on Syros. It hosts theatre performances, artistic events and international festivals, including opera, music and dance festivals featuring local and international artists. Individual programme dates vary. The theatre was built between 1862 and 1864 to designs by Italian city architect Pietro Sambo. A small exhibition recalls the history of the theatre. Its materials include works by local and other artists, historical posters and programmes, manuscripts, theatre publications, photographs, and objects of significance to theatre history. The exhibition’s contents may change.
Museums and Archaeological Traces
The Archaeological Museum of Syros was founded in 1834–1835 as the central museum of the Cyclades. It displays finds from Kastri and Chalandriani, as well as sculptures, inscriptions and tombstones from the ancient city of Syros. Ermoupoli is the capital of Syros and the Cyclades. The different themes offer several perspectives on the island’s history: museum objects sit alongside prehistoric sites and evidence of the ancient city.
Kastri and Chalandriani are located on the northeastern coast of Apano Meria on Syros and are among the most significant prehistoric sites in the Aegean. The fortified settlement of Kastri dates from approximately 2300 to 2200 BC. Its layout includes a low outer rampart, a main wall with horseshoe-shaped towers, and an arched wall on the hill. These architectural features make the fortifications themselves an important part of the site’s archaeological history.
Churches and Architecture
The church complex of Agios Georgios stands at the summit of Ano Syros. Hadjisimos Nikolaos from Tinos built it between 1832 and 1834. The church is a three-aisled basilica with a porch of five arches. Ano Syros is a traditional and medieval settlement under special state protection. Its architectural form and protected status give the site a distinct historical focus alongside the archaeological evidence.
Church art is also among the discoveries to be made on Syros. The church of Panagia Episkopiani in Piskopio is an important monument on the island. The church of the same name in Ermoupoli displays an icon of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary by Domenikos Theotokopoulos, known as El Greco. Executed in egg tempera on wood, the work is considered particularly important for understanding the painter’s artistic development.
Other architectural landmarks offer different points of interest: the Ottoman bathhouse in the bed of the Lalakia stream in Ermoupoli is a unique example of this building type on Syros and is of notable architectural significance. Ermoupoli’s Industrial Museum is housed in four different historic buildings in the city. Ermoupoli thus brings together buildings and collections with different areas of focus.
If you are looking for a hotel on Syros, your interests can help guide your choice: theatre and museum history, prehistoric sites, or church art each offer a different focus for planning your trip.
Discover more destinations: PosidhonĂa, Galissás, Finikas, AzĂłlimnos, ErmoĂşpolis, Vari, Kini, Parakopi, Chrousa.
Go to the main travel overview: South Aegean.
