Places of interest

The archaeological collection of the fortress of Monemvasia is housed in an old mosque in the main square in the lower town, opposite the town cathedral of Elkomenos Christos.

This small museum contains artefacts chiefly found during work to repair the monuments and surface exploration carried out over the past decades.
The collection consists mainly of architectural sculptures and ceramic objects used in daily life.
The sculptures are from the church of Aghia Sofia and the ruined mid-Byzantine church excavated at the Georgoulas residence, and date from the end of the 12th century. The latter is one of the earliest monuments in the fortress with a marble altar screen.

There are two main groups of antiquities.
A) stone sculptures consisting mainly of architectural members or individual elements from the built enviroment, dating from the early Christian period (4th-7th centuries AD), the Byzantine period (mid 7th-15th centuries) and the Post-Byzantine period (15th-19th centuries).
B) Ceramic and other small objects used in daily life, household objects or personal items, also dating from the Early Christian period until the later years of the Turkish occupation.

A compass construction containing a map of the fortress in the middle of the museum directs visitors to the various exhibits.

The Velies Folklore Museum was founded by the Aghia Paraskevi citizens’ association. Building began in June 2004 and was completed in 2007.

It is situated beside an age-old plane tree and a spring in Velies, two landmarks that are closely linked with the village’s history. A few decades ago this was the heart of the village, where the locals would meet to draw water, bring their animals to drink and to do their washing.

The citizens’ association also restored the spring and the surrounding area, which along with the platform and terraces on the museum roof are the scene of many cultural activities.

The old spring, which used to provide a constant supply of water from its five taps, was mentioned by the poet Yiannis Ritsos, who used to spend his childhood summers in Velies. His sister, Loula Ritsou-Glezou mentions it in her memoir of her brother.

The Folklore Museum opened its doors to visitors on May 16, 2010. Its exhibits include a variety of household and agricultural implements, traditional costumes, embroideries, textiles and other handcrafts among the many other objects from times past.