Siana is a beautiful mountain village located at a
distance of 70 km from the center of Rhodes and 450 meters above the sea level.
It is built amphitheatrically at the foothills of Mount Akramitis, the second
highest mountain on the island. The origin of the name of the village is rather
controversial, as some people claim that it derives from the church of Agia
Anna [St. Anne], while others think
it might be possible that the name comes from the ancient verb “skiazein”, that is the shadow cast on
the village by the two mountains of the region: Attavyros and Akramitis.
In a historical perspective, the original seat of the
village was the Municipality of Vrasia, the present area of Kerami, which dates
back to the Mycenaean times. The municipality was the largest of the 12 ones in
the city-state of Lindos. Later, under the threat of pirate forays from the
coast, the residents moved the village to its present location to make sure
they would have a better defensive position, since they would stay covered by
Mount Akramitis.
Today, the village square is dominated by two churches
dedicated to Agios Panteleimon [St.
Pantaleon]. The oldest one was built in three stages: initially, the
sanctuary was cruciform of
Byzantine style and dated back to the 10th century AD. In medieval
times, the church expanded up to 19.70 m. in length, as a single-nave temple.
The shape of the church has changed considerably since the last interventions
in the 1990s. In addition, in 1882, they decided to build a new church in
Siana, the construction of which was carried out with the help of everybody in
the village. The construction lasted for 10 years and on October 18, 1892 the church
was finally inaugurated and the result was truly impressive.
Apart from these churches in the square of Siana, one
can visit the old olive press of the village called “Ladomilos“, which now houses a museum. In its premises, the
visitors can admire the evolution of olive oil processing through audiovisual
media and taste exquisite local flavors. After all, the village is famous for
its traditional products and especially its excellent honey, its olive oil, its
“souma” (traditional strong spirit) and its local wine.
For those who love to discover archaeological sites, there
are a couple around the village that are of great importance –more
specifically, the areas of ancient Kimisala and Vasilikos.
