Church of Panagia Paraportiani

Surrounded by the boutiques and bars that have made Mykonos the Aegean’s most stylish and sophisticated Greek island, the flower-bedecked Church of Panagia Paraportiani is a highlight of a wander through the town’s picture-perfect Little Venice. The island’s most famous and most photographed church is made up of four whitewashed chapels, topped by a further bright white chapel on the upper storey, reached by an external staircase. Built between the 14th and 17th centuries, the church once guarded the entrance to the town’s castle, long since destroyed.

The multi-layered nature of the church gives it a unique shape, rising from the squared-off white chapels on the ground level to the domed church of the Virgin Mary on the top. Don’t miss the chance snap a photo of the church, standing out in brilliant white against the deep blue sky of the Aegean.

Practical Info

The Church of Panagia Paraportiani is in Chora (Mykonos Town), the island’s main hub. The church is in the historic Little Venice quarter, on the southern side of the port overlooking the Aegean Sea.
Only one of the ground-floor chapels is open to the public.