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Santorini History
Santorini used to be a round island, but during an earthquake and volcano-outbreak in the 15th century BC the middle of the island sunk and gave it the shape it has today. This is one of the reasons why many believe Santorini really is where Atlantis once was. The Minoan civilization on the island was razed after this, but apparently, most people managed to flee. The island has changed names through history.
Originally it was called Stroggyli ("round") since that was the shape of the island. When the Phoenicians came they named it Kallisti ("the very best"), and finally it got the name Thera after its first ruler. Theras was the son of the Theban hero Autesiona who was a descendant of Cadmus.He was the vice king of Sparta and responsible for his twin nephews Procle and Eurysthene. When they were old enough to rule by themselves, Theras left Sparta with a company of aristocrats and settled
on Santorini.The Romans originally used the island as a place for exiles, but later helped in building up the island. The Christianization of Santorini took place between the 2nd and 5th century. The island was often ravaged and even destroyed by pirates and in 1204 it was conquered by the Venetians. It was about then the island got its current name. The islands patron saint was Ag Irini (St Eirene) and the foreign sailors called her St Irini - thus Santorini. The island was destroyed by the Venetians in 1354, and once again in 1397, this time by the conquering Turks. In 1821 Santorini joined forces with the Greek revolutionists and the island was subsequently freed from Turkish rule.In 1956 there was a terrible earthquake which caused many buildings to be ruined. The people in Kamari are almost all from a village that was totally destroyed back then. |
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