RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES AND SOCIAL LIFE

(http://klearchosguidetothegalaxy.blogspot.com)

, . .

. .
( , ).

The Sunday church, and the feasts of

the Saints, were the only breaks in the
continuous hard work of everyday life.

,

.
, 6 , .
For women, religious ceremonies gave a
socially acceptable reason for an outing
and for social encounter.

. ,
,
. () .
, . (, , )
Participation in religious ceremonies in Santorini, as in all small communities,
was a main collective activity of the community. Going to church was an opportunity to encounter all residents, regardless of social or economic status.

: (http://klearchosguidetothegalaxy.blogspot.com)

1957 /1965
Procession of the icon of Virgin Mary in Fira 1957 and 1965

Despite the minor role that the church grants to women, in reality society and
family life has entrusted them with the mediating role with religion. Their responsibility is for observing the religious duties, and for making preparations for
the various rituals (offerings, memorials, feasts).

This division is spatially expressed in the way that the congregation is arranged
inside the church. During the Service, the central aisle is occupied by men, who
sit down in front of the main entrance or accompany the singers. The women
are limited to side aisles, usually with restricted visibility, or to an upper gallery.

It was an opportunity for public appearance which had the effect of reproducing the dominant norms and social structures of the society. The church reproduces the androcratic model. The primary role in rituals is held by men and
boys, while women are confined to ancillary tasks which refer to their domestic
identity (cleaning and decoration of the church, lighting oil-lamps).

, 21
1959.
.

2010

. , . ,
.

Every church carries the name of the saint whose icon occupies the central position
within the church. On the day of the feast of that saint, there is a procession of the
icon in the streets around the church. The icon and other religious objects (relics)
are always carried by men, mainly church commissioners or other officials of the island.

, . ,
.

On Sundays, going to the church is almost compulsory for everyone, with the women
attending the service, while many of the men stand in the courtyard and chat.


THE TRANSFORMATIONS OF THE AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPE
70

.

Until the 70s the settlements

were dense in order to land for
cultivation around them.
2013

1977

70, . .

1977Perissa

The tourism growth leads to the transformation

of coastal areas to dense tourist resorts with
unregulated development.

2013 - Perissa

. ()
(), 70.
.
( , , )

Until the 70s, the landscape of Santorini was predominantly rural. The
settlements were located in such a way as so as to leave as much as
possible free land for cultivation. The agriculture land on the island was
far from the sea as the environmental conditions did not favour crops in
coastal areas. The appreciation of the sea as a spectacle (Caldera) and
as a place of recreation (beaches), enhanced by tourism development
since the 70s.
The development of tourism on the one hand created increased demand for tourist accommodation and infrastructure and on the other
changed the living standards and the needs of the residents. The flexible institutional frameworks transformed the rural landscape in a continuous sprawl thicken dilutions occupies the entire island which intrude between farms.

.
.

The spread of residential development requires the construction of new

roads which in turn reinforces the further growth and infrastructure

: SantoREni 2012
Photos: Zoe Xatziyannaki, from the collection SantoREni 2012


.
.
The dramatic changes in Santorini for the last forty years caused alterations on the cultural landscape in which nature and people have
left their mark for centuries. The beach ,Vlihada one of the few remaining examples of the volcanic landscape is threatened by off-scale
tourism development.

1956 , . , , . .

The earthquake in 1956 along with the vast destruction of the built environment, has
brought dramatic changes in the social and economic structure. The emigration to urban centers, particularly Athens and Piraeus, resulted in a decline of agricultural production. The image of the abandonment of the landscape is evident.


MINING OF THERAN PUMICE

,
. 1929
.
10 .

.

40 70
. . 1853
,
, , .

The ease of surface mining initially lead to a number of small mines

that used elementary methods and primitive tools. In the 20th century
mining developed mechanical techniques which increased the speed
and the improved the quantity of production. The organisation of the
labour was in teams of, usually, 14 men who had to extract a specific
amount of material during a days work. According to testimonies, because of solidarity the teams which finished first used to help the
others, so they could all leave together. The workers came from villages close to the mines such as Kontochori, Messaria, Oia, Fira and

, . 1967 1979.
,
.

30
200- 300 120.000 . 1960 600.000 .

.
Extraction of pumice by tunnelling.

The history of volcanic eruptions is marked on the alternating layers

(palimset) of black and red lava, with the deepest layer (40 to 70 meters) of pozzolanic ash, known as pumice. This is an excellent building
material because, when mixed with lime, it becomes a strong adhesive, strengthened further with moisture and time. The pumice became better known after 1853 when it was used in port projects in Trieste, and later in the works of the Suez Canal, the Corinth Canal, Piraeus and elsewhere.

,
1940

. 20 .
14
.
.
, , , ,
.

The factory of the Company "Hephaestus" is

located on the rim of the caldera, south of
Fira. Constructed in 1929, it produced powdered pumice. The average production was
10 tonnes per hour. Today only part of the
building has survived.

The extraction took place with the removal of soft ash by tunneling. The
method was dangerous because it caused the overlying soil to collapse, and
it was banned in 1967 although t was carried on illegally until late 1970's.
Pumice was transported in baskets to the entrance of the tunnel, then by
trolleys to the edge of the caldera, and from there it was piled in storage areas at the base of the slope where metal loading bays facilitated berthing of
ships for the transportation of the material.


THE PRACTICE OF EVERY DAY
1956,

.

Until the earthquake of 1956, the main

meeting point of men in Pyrgos was a
coffee shop by the entrance of Kasteli.

,
. ,
, .

. , (), /
, , .

, .

. , . , ,
.
. , .
. .

Male company after a feast in the Monastery of Prophetis Elias followed by a party
in Pyrgos.

.
Singing in public accompanied with instruments was predominantly a male activity.

The harsh living conditions in a small, isolated, island contributed to the creation of solidarity among people who were willing to share and act jointly in difficult times. Surviving in the same harsh environment made people tolerant of their neighbours, with whom
they shared aspirations and respected common codes of conduct. The limited space in
the settlements led to the overlapping of properties in order to achieve best use of
space and adaptation to the environment. Everyone had to participate in the harvest, in
church repairs, and in construction of vineyard walls and paths.

The evenings were spent with visits to family and friends

or just chatting outside in the streets.

On weekdays, the men worked in the fields until dusk. Women looked after the home
and children, and did the many difficult domestic chores, and at harvest time they often
helped in gathering the crops. On Sundays and holidays, church attendance was considered necessary for everyone. After work, men gathered in the caf the information
point for exchange of local news. Women met at homes of friends and relatives to chat
while doing crafts or domestic work. Preparing food for the community religious feasts,
or for family occasions such as weddings and memorial services, was most often done
collectively. The tradition of mutual help and cooperation among members of the community continues today, despite the social and cultural transformation of recent years.


THE PROCESS OF BARLEY PRODUCTION

,
.

.
.
( )

.

.
. 3.000
,
.

One of the oldest crops on the island was barley. Seeds and storage jars
were found in the excavations of Akrotiri. Until after the second world
war most residents fed their families with barley bread and rusks, which
were baked only a few times a year and had to be preserved for a long
time because the only firewood was vine or fig branches.

Due to the lack of arable land, barley used to be planted in vineyards

among the vines. The straw was the staple food for mules and donkeys.
Today there are approximately 3,000 acres of barley grown, mainly for
animal food, and only a small part becomes threshed barley.

.
, ........
, .
,
,
...
. ......
Francois Richard 1652

We can not deny that the island is poor. Neither produces grain to feed its inhabitants,
except barley ........ The common food is rusk made from barley with only the coarse
bran removed. They bake two or three times a year and is so black, so when I showed a
piece to one of the fathers in Naxos, he told me that this is not suitable even to feed
dogs in France ... But here small children eat it with great appetite and keep well. ......
From the book by Francois Richard
Richard, P. F. (1652) Relation de ce qui s'est pass a Sant-Erini Isle de l'Archipel. Paris.