Kythera has a rich ecclesiastical history and tradition, evident in important religious monuments

Kythera, like most Greek islands, is full of churches and monasteries, of various architectural styles and sizes, scattered all over the island, some perched on mountain tops, others hidden in verdant ravines. The island’s rich ecclesiastical history and tradition is evident in many important archeological religious monuments of the byzantine and meta-byzantine periods, monasteries and pilgrimages of historical value, and literally hundreds of churches and chapels, old and more recent.

Among them of special importance is the Panagia Mirtidiotissa monastery with its miraculous icon, visited by thousands of pilgrims every year. This invaluable wealth of churches and pilgrimages, has given rise to a unique kind of tourism, religious tourism as it is called, which lately has acquired a more organized form, contributing immensely to the island’s economy, especially in the summer months.