Makronisos #269

Description

Makronisos or "Makronissi", due to its shape, or in ancient times "Helen" or as Strabo mentions it "Kranai" is an island in the Aegean sea and is located near the coast of Attica, opposite Lavrio. It is the westernmost island of the Cyclades and administratively belongs to the island of Kea.

Makronissos or Eleni Island is the westernmost island of the Cyclades, it belongs to the Municipality of Kea and is located between Kea and Lavrio.

The island today is uninhabited except for a few shepherds who are in the area.

Its port is not approached by a ship of the line, but it accepts excursionists, arriving from Lavrio.

Legend has it that in a cave on the North side of the island the man who caused the Trojan War, Paris, hid the kidnapped Helen. That is why the island got the name of "Eleni Island". Makronissos has its own page in the history of modern Greece.

In 2019, the entire Makronissos was declared an archaeological site by the Ministry of Culture.