Paros island, Greece

p>Situated in the central Aegean Sea, Paros island is an island of Greece. To the south west of the mainland of Greece, there is Cyclades, a group of islands in the Aegean Sea. Paros Island is part of the Cyclades and one of the most popular tourist destinations of Europe. The island is known as Paro in Venetian and had earned worldwide fame for producing fine grained, white marble of excellent quality.

As early as 3200- 2700 B.C, the island saw the establishment of settlements and it was called Minoa by the early inhabitants.

The first settlers are said to have come from Minoan Crete and later the Arcadians occupied the place. Parios, son of Parrrasios, was the leader of the Arcadians and it was after him, the island got its definite name. Paros flourished when the Ionians started living there after the Arcadians. Paros even established a colony on the Thassos island. Over the period of time, Paros came under the control of the Macedonias, the Ptolemies, Mithridates, and the Romans successively.

When the island became part of the Byzantine Empire, most of the inhabitants adopted Christianity and Paros became the home of many churches and monasteries. The most famous among them is the Church of Panagia Ekatontapiliani, locally known as Kataploiani. Legend has it that mother of Constantine the Great built this church but many claim that the church was made during the rule of Emperor Justinian. The church suffered considerable damage over the centuries. However, it is now restored and is held as an important early monument of Byzantine era in Greece. Ekatontapiliani is considered as an important shrine by the Orthodox church and every year, big religious feast is organised on August 15 to celebrate

the day of the Assumption.

Several poets, artists and scholars like Agoracritos, Arkesilaos, Nicanor were born in Paros Island. But the most famous of them is Archilochus who is credited to be first poet to imbibe personal element in his poetry, rather than concentrating on heroic themes.

Today, Paros island is a popular place of Greece where thousands of tourists flock every year to spend their holidays. The capital of the island is Parikia. If you ever visit the Parikia, you can feel an old world charm as you traverse the paved streets, archways and watch the dazzling two storey buildings. Parikia is the main port of Paros Island and to the southwest of the harbor, stands the castle or Kastro. You can see the ruins of the ancient temple of Demeter and that of the Venetian castle. The other places of sightseeing in Parikia are Byzantine Church of St. Constantine, Byzantine Museum and Convent of Thapsana.

There are number of beaches in Paros Island. You can easily get buses and cars to visit the surrounding of Parikia like Naoussa, Limnes, Aghio Ioannis and other places. Tourists get every modern facility and amenity in this island where hotels, furnished apartments are easily available.

Holidayshub.com provides detailed online information on Paros island in Greece.