Church of Panagia Paraportiani

Church of Panagia Paraportiani tickets: which one to buy

The Church of Panagia Paraportiani stands at the edge of Mykonos Town, at the entrance to the Kastro district, near Little Venice and the windmills, and it is one of the most photographed buildings in Greece. The exterior can be seen at any time for free, and it is the reason most people come; the interior of the churches is opened only occasionally, and hours are irregular.

Walking tours of Mykonos Town combine Paraportiani with Little Venice, the Kato Mili windmills, the maze of whitewashed lanes and the harbour, and they are useful for navigating streets designed to confuse pirates. Cruise passengers arrive in large numbers in summer, and the area around the church can be very crowded. Dress modestly if entering the church. The best photographs are taken from the lanes below the church in the early morning or at sunset. There is no ticket and no fixed opening time, so treat the interior as a bonus rather than a plan.

Visiting Church of Panagia Paraportiani: what to see

Paraportiani is not one church but five: four small chapels at ground level, dedicated to different saints, with a fifth church built on top of them, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The name means Our Lady of the Side Gate, because the church stood beside the gate of the medieval castle of Mykonos, the Kastro, which has otherwise disappeared. Construction began in the fifteenth century and continued into the seventeenth.

The buildings have been whitewashed so many times over the centuries that their shapes have softened into a single irregular, sculptural mass of curves, domes and walls, with a small bell tower, glowing white against the blue sky and sea. Architects have admired it as an example of vernacular Cycladic architecture. The interiors are simple, with icons and wooden iconostases. The best view is from the small square below the church, where the whole group of chapels can be seen stacked against the sky and the sea. The Folklore Museum of Mykonos, housed in an eighteenth-century captain's house, stands a few steps away.

Church of Panagia Paraportiani opening hours and the best time to go

The church can be seen from outside at any time, and the light is most beautiful in the early morning, before the crowds, and at sunset, when the white walls turn golden and pink. Summer on Mykonos is extremely busy, especially in July and August, and the town is crowded late into the night. May, June, September and early October are more pleasant, with warm weather and fewer people.

Winter is very quiet, with many businesses closed. The feast of the Assumption on 15 August is celebrated across Greece with church services. Little Venice, a few minutes away, is the famous spot for sunset drinks. Allow about fifteen minutes, and walk on through the lanes to the windmills. Ferries and cruise ships arrive at the new port north of town, and a sea bus links it with the old harbour near the church.