Minoan Peak Sanctuary in Kythera

Not far from the archaeological site of Paleopolis in Kastri is the mountain of Agios Georgios. A few years ago, in 1991, a very important discovery was made there by Adonis Kyrou, a well-known editor of the magazine “Estia”. Mr Kyrou, who was an archaeology enthusiast, was climbing on that August afternoon on the rough side of the mountain that overlooks the beach of Avlemonas, when he came across a short dirt road. At the end of the track he noticed something shiny. It was a small bronze statue. He looked up and saw that the area was full of pottery shards!

It didn’t take him long to realize where he was and he immediately informed the Professor of Prehistoric Archaeology, Mr Giannis Sakellarakis. Within a few days, Mr Giannis Sakellarakis arrived in Kythera with his wife Efi, also an archaeologist. A brief visit to the Church of St George on the mountain was enough to convince all three that they were standing in a Minoan Peak Sanctuary. They immediately informed the Ephorate of Antiquities and a brief sample excavation was carried out the following year. The excavation began in 1992 and ended in 1994, resulting in the discovery of the Minoan Peak Sanctuary, on the mountain of Agios Georgios, at an altitude of 355m.

Its excavation proved to be important for the study of Minoan religion, as it was found untouched among the many sanctuaries of Crete that appeared to have been looted. The finds include stone objects used for worship (one of which has the linear inscription A’), clay figurines of animals, bronze human figurines of worshippers, bronze tributes, jewellery and ceramics. Of the 170 Minoan bronze statues discovered in the Crete area, 83 were added by St George, that is, a real treasure. The findings from the excavations can be admired in the renovated Archaeological Museum in the town of Kythera.

In Christian times, the Church of St George was built on this ancient place of worship. On the floor of the temple there is a mosaic with various decorative themes, hunting scenes and Hellenistic meanders. According to the mosaic, the temple dates back to the 7th century AD. The church of St George, together with the church of St Anargyroi in Paleokastro, are the oldest Christian monuments in Kythera.

Every year, the day of the feast of St George, pilgrims gather in the courtyard and enjoy a traditional local feast. The view from the mountain is magnificent, as the visitor can see not only the coasts of the south-eastern Peloponnese from Kavo-Malia to Taygetos, but also a large part of the Aegean Sea.

From this point, all sea passages from north to south and from east to west were controlled, so the choice to build the Minoan sanctuary on the mountain of Aghios Georgios was quite natural. Due to the advantageous position of the mountain, a bardiola (watchtower) was built about three hundred metres to the east of the temple in the middle Ages to monitor the sea passages. It was also used to send messages to other parts of the island about the location of possible enemy ships by lighting fires (friktoria).