Sight seeing

Northwest of Ermioni, five to six kilometers from the town, you can find Katafyki, a gorge. Rocks, caves, rich vegetation and the small church of Hagios Nikolaos – built around 1740 – set the scene of this captivating place. The old historical bridge leads the visitor through an enchanting place with pine trees and running waters to the picturesque neighboring village named Fournoi.

(2 klm from the town). A significant specimen of Byzantine monastery architecture and famous for its springs with therapeutic waters; the monastery was built on the ruins of the temple of Asclepius – the god of medicine and healing in ancient Greek religion – between the 9th and 10th century. There is also an important library here. The celebration of Saint Anargyroi is celebrated on 11th July during which lots of people take part and visit the open-air festival that takes place at the time.

Next to the Hagioi Taxiarchoi Church there is a restored house – typical of the Hermionian houses (residence of the family of Ekonomou) – in which the 3rd National Assembly started in 1827; today, it houses the historical and folklore museum of our town. In the front garden, visitors can see the statues of the Mitsa brothers who were the leaders of the Hermionians during the Greek Revolution against the Turkish Occupation. Also, the old primary school, from the period of Kapodistrias – the first head of state of independent Greece – is very close to the museum; the building of the school was built on the ancient walls and houses the hall of cultural events of the town.

The town’s Metropolitan Church, a 16-century historical Byzantine church, was built at the very place where there used to be the ancient temple of Demeter the Chthonian (or Demeter of the earth) as the grand stones on the base and the Ancient Wall looking at the north attest. This is the very spot where the assignees of the 3^rd or National Assembly took an oath.

Bisti is a small peninsula full of pines situated at the edge of the town; it is also an archaeological site. In the summer, swimmers can rejoice swimming in the crystal waters surrounding the peninsula. Visitors can enjoy a unique stroll through Bisti any time of the day and the year. Significant temples were built here. At the most central and wide height of Bisti, there exist still today the stone foundations of the base of the temple dedicated to Athena, the goddess of wisdom as well as the temple of Poseidon whose ruins spread up to the restored ‘snowy’ white windmill.

The area of Bisti was surrounded by ‘cyclopean walls’, remains of which can be seen at its northern side along with remains of workshops processing the ‘porfyra’.