The village of Polyrinia

Present day Polyrinia is built on the foot of the hill that ancient Polyrinia used to be. It is a small village built at an altitude of 300 m. and has approximately 100 permanent residents.
Most of the houses in the village of Polyrinia incorporate building materials from the past history of the city.
The remainings of the past have been incorporated to the houses, to the yards, to the public buildings, everywhere.

A traditional yard

Andrianos' aquaduct
One of the most interesting remainings of ancient Polyrinia is the impressive Andrianos' aquaduct, consisting of two conductors digged in the rocks, with width 1,35 m and height 2,3 m, that ended up into two marble fountains.
The conductors were dug under the hill of Polyrinia and had some secret exits in case of siege.

Opposite the municipality's office there are the remainings of the old olive mill.
The olive mill was built with stones from the Andrianos aquaduct. Two of its pillars where taken from ancient Polyrinia, the one from the palace and the other from the temple of Artemis.


The old olive mill

The temple of the Assumption of the Holy-Mother
Inside the village of Polyrinia there is the temple of the Assumption of the Holy-Mother.
The temple is built inside a rock and it contains some valuable icons. During the Turkish occupation it served as a secret school for the Greek children.

One of the most wonderful findings is a sepulchral column representing the lord of the city Sosamenos and his young daughter Tiro, with an elegy about the beauty and the virtues of the deceased daughter.


© Interkriti 1996
This page is sponsored by the Council of the area of Kissamos