Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Inousses has neither buses nor car hire; ask at the port for its one semitaxi. You can also
bring a bicycle or scooter on the ferry from Chios.
PSARA ΨΑΡΑ
POP 420 / AREA 45 SQ KM
Celebrated Psara (psah-
rah
), is one of maritime Greece's true oddities. A tiny speck in
the sea two hours northwest of Chios, this island of scrub vegetation, wandering goats
and weird red rock formations has one settlement (also called Psara), a remote monastery
and pristine beaches.
Little Psara looms inordinately large in modern lore. The Psariot clans became wealthy
through shipping, and their participation in the 1821-29 War of Independence is etched
into modern Greek history, particularly the daring exploits of Konstantinos Kanaris
(1793-1877) whose heroic stature propelled him, six times, to the position of prime min-
ister.
Kanaris' most famous operation occurred on the night of 6 June 1822. In revenge for
Turkish massacres on Chios, the Psariots destroyed the Turkish admiral's flagship while
the unsuspecting enemy was holding a post-massacre celebration. Kanaris' forces deton-
ated the ship's powder keg, blowing up 2000 sailors and the admiral himself. However,
as in Chios, their involvement sparked a brutal Ottoman reprisal, with help from Egyp-
tian and French mercenaries, that decimated the island in 1824.
Over the next century, many Psariots resettled in America and other foreign lands.
Their descendents still return every summer, so don't be surprised if the first Greek you
meet speaks English with a Brooklyn accent.
Sights & Activities
Psara village is tucked within a long bay on the island's southwest. When you disembark
from the ferry, you can't miss the jagged
Mavri Rachi
, or 'Black Shoulder' - the rock
from which thousands of Psariots are said to have hurled themselves during the 1824 Ot-
toman assault.
Psara's main cultural attraction, the
Monastery of Kimisis Theotokou
(Dormition of
the Virgin), 12km north of town, is a smallish chapel surrounded by protective walls, and
containing rare hieratric scripts from Mt Athos and a sacred icon which is paraded
through the village on the night of 4 August.
