Pyrgi: Xysta and the history of a medieval village

If you’re looking for a hotel in Pyrgi, it’s worth first taking a closer look at the village itself: Pyrgi is the largest medieval village on Chios. The Xysta on the house façades and the Chios Mastic Museum offer two distinct cultural highlights. This makes architecture and the mastic tradition the main points of reference when choosing where to stay.

Xysta and historic architecture in Pyrgi

Pyrgi’s Xysta are black-and-white geometric decorations on house façades. On Chios, Pyrgi is often called the “painted village” because of the detailed decorative motifs on its building façades. The nickname draws attention to the appearance of the house fronts. If you’re interested in architecture and historic townscapes, the geometric façade motifs offer a tangible way to explore the character of the village.

On Chios, the Church of the Holy Apostles in Pyrgi is near the village square; it is a well-preserved Byzantine monument dating from the 14th century. The church adds a dated monument with a specific connection to the village to its architectural highlights.

Mastic heritage at the museum

In Pyrgi, the permanent exhibition at the Chios Mastic Museum presents traditional knowledge about mastic cultivation. The outdoor exhibition introduces visitors to the mastic plant and its natural habitat. The two forms of exhibition have different focuses: the permanent exhibition is devoted to cultivation knowledge, while the outdoor exhibition focuses on the plant and its habitat. The museum thus brings cultural knowledge and a connection with nature together. For planning your trip, this offers a different thematic perspective from the Xysta and the village’s medieval architecture.

More cultural sites on Chios

On Chios, Nea Moni offers a connection to Byzantine art. The monastery was built in the 11th century, between 1042 and 1056. Its mosaics are part of one of the three surviving collections in Greece from the Middle Byzantine period; Nea Moni is regarded as an undisputed masterpiece of Byzantine art. Its construction history and mosaics offer two different perspectives on the monastery.

Mesta on Chios is a medieval village preserved as a monument. Its layout resembles a fortress: the closely packed houses form a protective outer wall. Compared with Pyrgi’s façade motifs, this describes a different architectural aspect—not the decoration of the house fronts, but the arrangement of the houses as a whole.

Anavatos is a medieval Byzantine tower village in the central part of Chios. Visitors can walk along its cobbled streets. Its buildings include the well-preserved Taxiarchis Church and the so-called “Three-Storey Building.” The latter comprises an olive press, a school, a water cistern, and the Church of the Theotokos. Anavatos is thus described through its streetscape, a well-preserved church, and a building with several named components.

Landscape and crafts on Chios

The Kampos on Chios is a residential and agricultural complex that combines an outstanding natural landscape with distinctive local architectural features. Narrow roads run between citrus groves and estates with high stone walls, making the area ideal for walks. Traffic is light in the area, so it’s also possible to cycle there; road conditions may change. It is therefore a good idea to check local conditions before setting out on a bike ride. Kampos offers a landscape-focused experience that differs from the historic village layouts of Pyrgi and Mesta.

Armolia on Chios has a long tradition of making ceramic vessels, including jugs, vases, pots, bowls, and cups. These vessel forms give the local craft its own distinctive character and offer a different cultural focus from architecture and mastic cultivation. Alongside townscapes, monastery architecture, and landscapes, pottery is another tangible point of reference when choosing what interests you on your trip.

For an overview of the wider trip: Chios.