Anafiotika

This neighborhood, which is reminiscent of a Cycladic island, was created in the mid-19th century when workers from Anafi, who had come to Athens to work as builders on the reconstruction of the city and the construction of Otto’s Palace, settled in the area. They originally lived in the area of Zoodochos Pigi on Akadimias Street, where the state had allocated them some small plots of land to settle permanently with their families. Soon, however, the price of land and houses rose too much, and since these workers had no intention of moving far away, they decided to settle illegally on the Sacred Rock. The first settlers were a carpenter (G. Damigos) and a mason (M. Sigalas) from Anafi.

They transported the building materials to the rock with the necessary secrecy required by the circumstances. In just one night of collective work, they built the first two houses of the neighborhood. A few days later, some Athenians from Rizokastro noticed the unauthorized buildings and called the Town Planning Authority, but until the person responsible was identified and acted upon the example of the two, other Anafiots followed, causing the number of houses to multiply without the authorities taking any active measures. Most of Anafiotika was built mainly during the period of Otto’s expulsion and the interregnum. The district was built following the architecture of the Cyclades. The people of Anafiotika, along with their settlement, restored the two churches that had been in the area since the 17th century, the Church of St. Simeon and the Church of St. George of the Rocks.