The Municipality

Skopelos

 

A Green and Blue Heaven

Embraced by its two sisters, Skiathos and Alonissos, and accompanied by dozens of islets and rocky islands, Skopelos is bathed in the crystal-clear waters of the Aegean. It is part of the island complex that in antiquity was called the Magnetes Islands, known today as the Sporades. With pine forests descending all the way down to its idyllic shores, it has rightly been declared a "Green and Blue" island by the Biopolitics International Organization.

Visitors to Skopelos have much to enjoy beyond its stunning natural environment, sun, and sea: the preserved settlement of Chora, numerous picturesque villages, monasteries and iconic chapels, unforgettable gastronomic experiences, exciting outdoor activities, visits to museums, monuments, and cultural sites, and engagement with the history, material, and intangible traditions of the island.

Welcome to Skopelos. A charming, multifaceted, hospitable "Green and Blue" heaven... in the Aegean Sea!

History



Prehistoric Times

The period we call prehistoric remains difficult for us to comprehend today and often obscure, as the only information we have comes from archaeology. As research on Alonissos and the deserted islets in the eastern part of the archipelago shows, people have lived on the islands of the Sporades or Northern Sporades since the Middle Paleolithic era (circa 40,000–25,000 BC). No human traces from this period have been found on Skopelos, but considering the island's location and natural resources, it seems the lack of findings is due to the absence of research by specialized archaeologists.

The first significant archaeological findings on Skopelos date back to the period known as the Mycenaean era (circa 1600–1100 BC). These include tombs and building ruins on the peninsula of Stafylos, in the southern part of the island, as well as movable artifacts, among them an impressive gold handle from a Mycenaean sword. Mycenaean-era tombs have also been discovered in Ditropo, near Panormos, while a Mycenaean wall was found beneath the ruins of the ancient city of Peparethos.

Apart from modern archaeologists, ancient writers also provide information about prehistoric Skopelos. According to their accounts, the island was colonized by Cretans, known today as Minoans, led by Staphylos, the son of the god Dionysus and Ariadne, daughter of Minos. The older researchers believed that the precious gold sword handle mentioned above belonged to Staphylos, the mythical founder and first king of the island.

 

Ancient Times

Geometric–Archaic Period (9th–6th century BC)

We know almost nothing about the Sporades at the beginning of the historical era. It is said they were deserted and later settled by Ionian colonists from Chalcis, according to the Periegesis, a text by an anonymous ancient author. The ancient author seems confident in his writing, but modern researchers believe it more likely that the colonists found inhabitants already living on the islands from prehistoric times.

The first historical information we have about Skopelos dates back to the early 6th century BC and concerns its first famous resident: an athlete named Agnon, who in 569 BC won a race in Olympia.

Classical Period (5th–4th century BC)

At the beginning of the 5th century BC, on Peparethos, as Skopelos was then known, there were three cities: Peparethos, Panormos, and Selinous. The island prospered, and the inhabitants of Peparethos made generous offerings to the Oracle of Delphi, including a colossal bronze statue of the god Apollo.

During this period, Peparethos was already famous for its excellent wine, the "Peparethian wine," which was exported throughout the Aegean Sea and even to the Black Sea. Its wealth and commercial activities are evidenced by the silver coins minted by the island, most of which feature images related to viticulture: grapes and vine leaves.

After the Greek victory in the fierce war against the Persians (480 BC), Peparethos (Skopelos), like nearby Skiathos, became a member of the Delian League. It seems that the administration in Peparethos was democratic, similar to that of Athens. Up until the Peloponnesian War (431 BC), the severe conflict between Athens and Sparta and their allies, the island enjoyed a peaceful and commercially prosperous period. Later, ancient authors mention the island only once in connection with the earthquake that struck in 427 BC, causing a massive tidal wave. After the war ended in 404 BC, the island accepted the protection of Sparta, and its government became oligarchical.

In the following years, Peparethos was primarily under Spartan control, gained its freedom for a period, and was attacked by Alexander, the tyrant of Thessalian Pherae. During this time, towers and other fortifications were built on the island and throughout the Sporades. In 351 BC, Sostratos, a pirate from Peparethos, seized the neighboring island of Alonissos. This event provoked Athens, which controlled the island, while Philip II of Macedonia found an opportunity to establish a garrison on Alonissos. The people of Peparethos and the Athenians opposed this, and the Athenian orator Demosthenes wrote one of his famous speeches against both the Macedonians and the people of Peparethos. A few years later, after the Battle of Chaeronea (338 BC), Peparethos, like all city-states in southern Greece, submitted to Philip II and his Macedonian army.

Hellenistic Period (late 4th–1st century BC)

The beginning of the new era found Peparethos being a small part of the vast empire created in only a few years by the Macedonian king Alexander the Great, the son of Philip II. After Alexander's death, the island, like the rest of the empire, experienced the turbulent conflicts among his successors who fought over parts of the empire: in 209–208 BC, it became the battleground between Philip V, king of Macedonia, and Attalus V, king of Pergamon. At the beginning of the 2nd century BC, the Macedonians destroyed Peparethos, like all the Sporades, fearing they would side with the Romans against them. In 192 BC, Antiochus II, king of Syria, seized it. In 88 BC, the Sporades served as a base for the troops of Mithridates, king of Pontus, who raided the shores of Messenia. In 82 BC, it was captured by the Roman general Brutus Sura, and from then on, it became part of the new empire, the Roman Empire.

Το νησί της Σκοπέλου
Το νησί της Σκοπέλου

Roman Period (1st century BC–4th century AD)

During the early Roman period, the Northern Sporades suffered from pirate attacks based in Cilicia on the Asia Minor coast. Despite this, Peparethos managed to sell its famous wine, which was especially popular during the reign of Emperor Augustus (27 BC–14 AD). A prominent landowner and winemaker of the time, mentioned by the author Lucius Flavius Philostratus (2nd century AD), was Hymnaios of Peparethos, who lived in a luxurious villa on Alonissos.

Systematic viticulture was a source of wealth for the island from classical to Roman times. Ancient authors frequently mention the trade network established to facilitate the wine trade and praise the "wine of Peparethos." Additional evidence includes ancient shipwrecks discovered in the waters of the Sporades, which carried amphorae filled with wine.

Byzantine Era - Venetian Rule (4th-16th centuries)

The Byzantine period begins with the transfer of the capital of the Roman Empire to Constantinople in 330 AD, marking significant changes for the island. The name "Skopelos" becomes prevalent, first appearing in the writings of the mathematician and astronomer Claudius Ptolemy (2nd century AD) and later, in those of the Neoplatonic philosopher Hierocles (5th century AD). The ancient name "Peparethos" is mentioned in the geographical dictionary of Stephanus of Byzantium (6th century AD), but disappears after the 13th century AD.

From the 4th century AD, Christianity replaces the ancient religion. The Bishop of Skopelos, Reginus, participates and excels at the Council of Sardica (modern Sofia) in 342/3. Bishop Reginus, who suffered a martyr’s death during the reign of Julian the Apostate (361-363), the emperor who attempted to revive paganism, becomes the island's patron saint. With the rise of Christianity, churches are built all over the island, including one dedicated to Saint Reginus.

A pivotal moment in Byzantine history is the capture of Constantinople by the Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade in 1204. After their success, the Western rulers divide the lands of Byzantium among themselves. Skopelos and other islands are granted to the Venetian brothers Andrea and Jeremiah Ghisi, who become the most powerful lords in the Aegean after Marco Sanudo, also Venetian. Venetian rule lasts until 1276, when Philip Ghisi, lord of Skopelos and an active pirate, is banished by the legendary Admiral of the Byzantine Fleet, Licario.

In the early 14th century, in 1307-1308, a Catalan fleet, led by captain Ramón Muntaner, attacks the Sporades, and shortly thereafter, between 1326 and 1328, the Ottomans raid Skopelos and other islands. The Italian geographer Cristoforo Buondelmonti, who arrives in 1419, informs us that there are two settlements on the island, one in Skopelos and another in Glossa.

A year after the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, the inhabitants of the Sporades seek protection from Venice and request to retain their privileges and their bishop. For nearly a century, until 1538, Skopelos enjoys a peaceful and pleasant life, which leaves its mark on the language and architecture.

Ottoman Era (16th-19th centuries)

Ottoman rule begins in 1538 when the Admiral of the Ottoman Fleet, the infamous Hayreddin Barbarossa, conquers the Sporades, pillages cities and villages, destroys fortifications, and enslaves the inhabitants. Soon after, French admiral Théodore Blancard finds the islands deserted.

The history of the Sporades remains obscure during the early years of Ottoman rule. We only know that the islands maintain the administrative and legal privileges they had during Venetian rule and depend on Kapudan Pasha, the Admiral of the Ottoman Fleet. However, piracy continues to plague the region, subsiding only towards the end of the 17th century, when the population begins to increase. Thanks to its significant position on trade routes and the production of its famous wine, Skopelos establishes a British consulate (consolato), a French vice-consulate, and a Venetian vice-consulate. In 1723 or 1724, it also gains a notable school, the Dapontes Academy, founded by Stephanos Dapontes, father of the writer Kaisarios Dapontes.

In 1770, when the Russian fleet entered the Aegean Sea, many inhabitants of the Sporades participate in the revolt against the Ottomans, known as the "Orlov Revolt." The revolution fails, but Lambros Katsonis, a Greek officer of the Russian fleet, continues to fight the Ottomans and recruits men from the Sporades. Hostilities between the Ottomans and Russians cease with the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca (1774), which secures commercial privileges for the islanders, vital for their growth and prosperity. The French diplomat, traveler, historian, and Philhellene François Pouqueville, who visits the Sporades between 1798-1801, informs us that the population of Skopelos reaches 6,000 to 8,000 people. At the same time, the island has 35 ships.

From 1805 to 1816, a series of revolts against the Ottomans erupt in central Greece. None achieve the desired outcome, but all help the inhabitants of the Sporades, like all Greeks, to prepare for the Revolution of 1821.

Modern Times (19th century-present)

Skopelos contributes significantly to the Greek Revolution of 1821. The island provides its ships for the struggle and offers refuge to revolutionaries from Olympus and Pelion, and their families. Letters exchanged between the authorities of Skopelos and the revolutionary authorities based in Hydra reveal the challenges faced by the islanders: hunger, poverty, piracy. In 1828, piracy is eradicated by the first Governor of Greece, Ioannis Kapodistrias, but after his assassination on September 27, 1831, pirates, chaos, and insecurity return.

Meanwhile, in 1830, the London Protocol recognizes the independence of part of Greece. The Sporades are included in the new Greek state. Shortly after, in 1832, Greece becomes a kingdom, with the Bavarian prince Otto as its first king.

During the last two centuries of Ottoman rule and the first half of the 19th century, Skopelos boasts a significant maritime tradition. The ships from Skopelos carry the island's wine throughout the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. The wealth from trade results in the creation of a thriving bourgeoisie, which builds luxurious houses and imports furniture and valuable items from abroad. However, in the second half of the 19th century, steamships replace traditional sailing ships. Unable to adapt to the new conditions, many Skopelites become jobless shipwrights, leading to waves of migration, initially to mainland Greece and then to America. The island declines. In the following years, especially after a devastating phylloxera epidemic, the centuries-old and highly profitable viticulture is abandoned. Plum trees replace the vineyards, and the island produces another unique product: Skopelos plums.

In the 20th century, Skopelos is caught in the turmoil of the wars that afflict the country and the world: the Balkan Wars, World War I, the Asia Minor Campaign, the Greco-Italian War, and World War II. In 1941, Glossa becomes a refuge for many members of the Allied Expeditionary Force attempting to escape after the German invasion of Greece. The first group, around one hundred officers and soldiers, hide in field huts in Loutraki and from there, taking a ship from Glossa, the "Alberta," they are transported to Turkey. Those who arrive later on the island are taken care of by a local group, which provides them with food and shelter and then, in coordination with Skopelos and Skiathos, ensures their safe transfer.

After World War II, Greece plunges into a bloody civil war, which ends in 1949. After the first difficult decade, the country embarks on a new era of development and prosperity. The only threat now comes from natural phenomena: in 1965, two powerful earthquakes devastate Alonnisos and cause extensive damage in Skopelos.

The 1980s bring rapid tourism development. The idyllic natural environment, dreamlike beaches, and remarkable cultural heritage attract visitors from all over the world. Many Skopelites from urban centers and abroad begin to return permanently or seasonally to the island, to take advantage of the opportunities offered by tourism. At the same time, many continue to engage in the island's traditional crafts, such as shipbuilding, pottery, weaving, and the making of Skopelos knives.

Today, in the globalized 21st century, Skopelos, a place with a rich past, lives in the present, with all its challenges and opportunities, setting sail with strength and optimism for a future bathed in the light of the Aegean.

Unique experiences waiting for you to discover