By Nicolas Bard

Apeiranthos is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful, historical and traditional villages of mountainous Naxos. The birthplace of great Greeks, a cradle of culture and a pocket of local traditions, still inspires and emit light today, keeping her identity unchanged over the years. The village once numbered more than 1,500 inhabitants, but today there are about 600 residents, most of whom are involved in tourism. Livestock occupations came in, and residents adapted to modern demands, as their village gains more and more visitors year after year, being a reference point in the island’s inland.

This picturesque village, built at an altitude of 570 to 640 meters, stands out for its whitewashed houses, beautiful churches, whitewashed with its covered galleries and five museums! In the heart of the Vassilos is the village square with the centuries -old plane tree, which offers thick shade and coolness to both residents and visitors. Still, the village is full of cafes and taverns, where you can take a stop to get strength, and then continue wandering in the beautiful straits and mahalades of the village. The locals are very welcoming, and they will open your homes and hearts, which will win you over from the first moment. In fact, you will see a special dialect that speak there, with thick “L”, reminiscent of the Sfakia of Crete.

This separate speech is also linked to the origin of the locals, for which there are many versions. Due to the similarity of culture, dialect, morals and customs, poetry and music capacity with Crete, in particular Sfakia and Anogia, it is likely that a large proportion of the population of Apeiranos originates from there. Sources from the periods of Frankish and Turkish occupation are reinforcing this view. There is, however, another version, according to which the villagers come from a coast of Asia Minor, and is mentioned around 1413 by traveler Christopher Budelmont as a remarkable village. Apeiranthos is the second largest village on the island after Filoti.

The first historical reference of the village was made in 1420, when the Italian traveler Christopher Buddelmont mentions it in his book “Liber Insularum Archipelagi”. The name Apeiranthos is considered a newer name of the village. The name was given a few years before the Revolution of 1821. Some believe that it came from the famous Constantinople, from which there were proven settlers of the village who fled there in order to avoid the persecution of the Turks. Because his name is pronounced in popular texts always in a general fall, “Infinite”, it is said that the owner of the area was someone Pendos or was a franc in origin, who had this region as a manner in the Middle Ages, and named the vast.

As we have mentioned earlier, there are five museums in Apeiranthos today: the Apeiomanthos Archaeological Museum, the Folklore Museum, the Geological Museum, the Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Fine Arts. In the Archaeological Museum you will find mainly findings of the Cycladic era, that is, of the 3rd millennium BC. Among them are the assistant plates of the peak of Aroni. The Church of the village is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin, while in the village since 1964 the Library of Nikos Nikolaos Glezos has been operating with about 26,000 titles, making it one of the largest in Greece and is dedicated to the memory of Nikos Glezos (his brother). 10-5-44.

As early as 1978 Apeiranthos has been described as a traditional settlement. This mountainous village is developed around two 17th -century towers, once belonging to Franks of the Great Battalions.

One of them is Zevgolis’ tower. The settlement still maintains its Venetian architecture, with narrow cobbled streets with arches. The economic and artistic flourishing of the Byzantine times is testified by the churches with the successive layers of frescoes from the time of iconoclasm to the 13th century. In one of them, on Agia Sunday, the performances are analogous and depict birds with ribbons on the throat. During your wandering in the village you will also see many Venetian coats of arms that testify to the rich and centuries -old history of the place. From then until today the village remains at the heart of the developments and a reference point of the island, while the love of its inhabitants is evident wherever you stand, which makes it even more beautiful.