Agia Paraskevi

Agia Paraskevi is a small Greek Orthodox chapel on Naxos, dedicated to Saint Paraskevi, one of the most venerated female martyrs in the Orthodox calendar. Based on its coordinates, the chapel sits in the southern part of the island, away from the bustle of Naxos Town, in the kind of rural setting where whitewashed chapels like this one have stood for centuries.

What to Expect

Like most small Orthodox chapels scattered across Naxos, Agia Paraskevi is an intimate space — likely a single-nave structure with a modest iconostasis, oil lamps, and an icon of Saint Paraskevi herself. She is the patron of eyesight and healing in Orthodox tradition, and her feast day falls on 26 July, when small rural chapels dedicated to her often hold a simple panigiri (feast-day celebration) with a liturgy and a gathering of local families.

The chapel is not a museum or a tourist attraction in the formal sense. It is an active place of worship that happens to be accessible to respectful visitors. Expect stillness, a scent of incense, and walls that may hold old icons or votive offerings.

How to Get There

The coordinates (37.0544, 25.4726) place the chapel roughly in the southern Naxos interior, within reach of the main road network that links the island's villages. From Naxos Town, head south along the coastal road toward Pyrgaki or inland toward Vivlos and Ano Sangri, and use a mapping app with the coordinates entered directly — small chapels like this rarely appear by name on signage. A car or scooter is the practical choice; the roads in this part of Naxos are narrow and infrequent buses do not serve chapel stops.

Tips for Visiting

• Dress modestly. Cover shoulders and knees before entering any Orthodox chapel. A light scarf or sarong kept in your bag solves this in seconds.
• Check whether the door is locked. Many small Naxos chapels are locked between services and on non-feast days. If you find it closed, the exterior and immediate surroundings are still worth a few quiet minutes.
• Visit around 26 July if you can. Saint Paraskevi's feast day brings a short liturgy and often a small community gathering — the most authentic way to experience a rural chapel like this.
• Go in the morning or late afternoon. Midday heat in the Naxos interior is intense in summer; morning light also suits photography of whitewashed architecture.
• Respect the space. If a service is in progress, wait outside or return later. Photography inside should be discreet and without flash.

The Saint and Her Chapels on Naxos

Saint Paraskevi (whose name means "preparation" or "Friday" in Greek) was a 2nd-century martyr from Rome who, according to Orthodox tradition, was blinded and then miraculously healed. That association with sight made her one of the most popularly invoked saints in rural Greek communities. Naxos, with its dense network of small chapels — the island is said to have more than a thousand — has several dedicated to her. Each tends to belong quietly to a particular village or farming community and reflects the local tradition of building a chapel as an act of devotion or thanksgiving. Agia Paraskevi fits squarely into that tradition.