Filippos: Churches, Finds and Walking Trails

Filippos offers several ways to explore the area on a trip focused on churches, archaeological finds and walks. The old Ypapanti Church stands in the village; other churches are in the surrounding area. Archaeological finds have been discovered in the Filippos area. Walkers have two different points of interest to choose from: a small gorge that is a highlight of the APO-05 route through Apokoronas, and an old path leading uphill to the village. Each site and route section can be considered in terms of its own historical or landscape focus.

Churches in and around Filippos

The old Ypapanti Church stands in the village. Maza is nearby. On Maza’s central square stands the single-nave, vaulted Church of Agios Nikolaos, with rare frescoes by the painter Ioannis Pagomenos dating from 1325. “Single-nave” describes a church interior with one main nave; the vault is another clearly defined feature of its design. The references to the main nave and vault draw attention to the architecture, while the painter and date provide more specific context for the frescoes.

Christ the Savior, dating from the 16th century, stands just outside Maza. The dates differ in their level of precision: the frescoes in Agios Nikolaos are dated to 1325, while Christ the Savior is attributed to the 16th century. The churches are also distinct in their locations: Ypapanti stands in Filippos, Agios Nikolaos on Maza’s central square, and Christ the Savior just outside Maza. This makes it possible to identify each building by its location and the associated date.

Archaeological finds

Clay vessels and other ancient finds from the pre-Minoan period have been discovered in the Filippos area. The research during which these finds came to light took place from 1980 to 1995. The pre-Minoan classification applies to the finds; the period from 1980 to 1995 describes the research. Shifting from the churches to the find area changes the scale of focus: the churches are individual, named buildings, while the finds are archaeological discoveries in the Filippos area. This adds a distinct archaeological perspective on the history of the village alongside its churches.

Walking in the surrounding area

The walking routes also have specific local points of reference. A small gorge near Filippos is a highlight of the APO-05 route through Apokoronas. Shortly before the end of a walk, the route leaves the riverbed and follows an old path uphill to the village of Filippos. The path is overgrown with vegetation but remains recognizable. The descriptions emphasize different features: the gorge is the main landscape feature of the APO-05 route, while the path to the village is defined by the transition from the riverbed, the uphill climb and the recognizable old path. This distinguishes a named scenic highlight on the route through Apokoronas from a section of trail that leads uphill to Filippos.

Discover more destinations: Gialos, Marathi, Daratsos, Kontopoula, Maleme, Karave, Faleliana, Xamoudochori

For the broader travel overview: Chania.