Oia, Best Village In Santorini

Very few are the people who are actually aware of the fact that Oia, the famous little coastal town on the island of Santorini, was given its worldwide known name in the 1930’s. During the ancient times Oia used to be the name of the site “Thireon polis”, the place where Kamari is located in the present day. That first Oia used to accommodate the island as the major port of ancient Thira, another famous city on the highlands of the island.olvos luxury suites

It wasn’t until the Fourth Crusade and the destruction of Constantinople by the Crusaders in 1204 that the Republic of Venice set their eyes and interest on the Cyclades. At the time the Venetians were ruling the known seas and used to pinpoint the areas with the biggest commercial opportunities instead of agricultural ones as was the focus of the rest of Europe. So, they requested from the Byzantines to have access to the islands of the Aegean Sea, which were important seaways of that time. Santorini was handed over to the Republic of Venice and the Catholics started flooding to the island after the creation of the Duchy of the Archipelago. In the end of the 13th century, the Western men were in charge and created a social status similar to the one of their homeland. It wasn’t until during the Greek liberation war against the Ottoman Empire (1821) taht Santorini offered so many ships and crew that was ranked third after the islands of Hydra and Spetses.

On 5th May 1821, the delegate of Ipsilantis raised the flag of Revolution on the island of Santorini. After the liberation, Santorini became a province of the newborn Greek nation.

Image Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mistybushell/4033587381