Oia, Greece

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Oia Pano Meria Οία
Santorini Oia
Seal
Oia Pano Meria
Location within the Cyclades [show]
Coordinates: 36°28′N 25°22′ECoordinates: 36°28′N 25°22′E
Country	Greece
Administrative region	South Aegean
Regional unit	Thira
Municipality	Santorini
• Municipal unit	19.4 km2 (7.5 sq mi)
Population (2001)[1]
• Municipal unit	3,376
• Municipal unit density	170/km2 (450/sq mi)
Community
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Vehicle registration	EM

Oia or Ia (Greek: Οία, pronounced [ˈi.a]) is a small town and former community in the South Aegean on the islands of Thira (Santorini) and Therasia, in the Cyclades, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it has been part of the municipality ofSantorini, of which it is a municipal unit.^[2][3] It covers the whole island of Therasia and the northwesternmost part of Santorini, which it shares with the municipal unit of Santorini. The main street is named Nikolaou Nomikou. The population was 3376 inhabitants at the 2001 census, and the land area is 19.449 km^2[2][4]

Oia was previously known as Apano Meria (Απάνω Μεριά or Επάνω Μεριά, "upper side"), a name which still occurs locally asPano Meria,^[5] and the inhabitants are still called Apanomerites (Απανωμερίτες). The Ancient Greek Oia was one of the two harbours of ancient Thera and was located in the southeast of the island, where Kamari is now.

Oia reached the peak of prosperity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its economic prosperity was based on its merchant fleet, which plied trade in the Eastern Mediterranean, especially from Alexandria to Russia. The two-story captains' houses built on the highest part of the village are a reminder of the village's former affluence. Part of the town was destroyed by the 1956 earthquake.^[6]

History[edit]

Oia

The settlement of Oia had been mentioned in various travel reports before the beginning ofVenetian rule, when Marco Sanudo founded the Duchy of Naxos in 1207 and feudal rule was instituted on Santorini.^[8] Under the da Corogna family, Agios Nikolaos Kastell (Καστέλι του Αγίου Νικολάου), also called Apanomeria (Απανωμερία), was one of five local citadels. Its residential keep, Goulas, is now in the oldest part of the town, on its southwestern edge.^[9]

In 1537, Hayreddin Barbarossa conquered the Aegean islands and placed them under SultanSelim II.^[10] However, Santorini remained under the Crispo family until 1566, passing then toJoseph Nasi and after his death in 1579 to the Ottoman Empire.

From the 16th to the 19th century, the settlement was designated Apanomeria on maps. In the mid-17th century, Jean de Thévenot uses the name Castelli San Nicolas. The name was changed to Oia in the second half of the 19th century.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the town was a mariners town that flourished as a result of seaborne trade throughout the Mediterranean, particularly as part of the trade route between Russia and Alexandria. In 1890 Oia had approximately 2,500 residents and approximately 130 sailing ships. There was a wharf in the bay of Armeni. Excellent wine was produced in quantity in the hinterland and exported to France amongst other places. However, the arrival of steam and the concentration of shipping at Piraeus caused the town's seagoing trade to collapse, and agriculture also diminished as increasing emigration took place, especially to Piraeus andLaurium. The economy of the town declined in the early 20th century on account of wars, economic depression and over extraction of fish resources.

The 7.8 magnitude^[11] earthquake on 9 July 1956 caused considerable damage.^[6] The epicentre of the strongest aftershock (magnitude 7.2) was located off the northern coast of Santorini.^[11] The earthquake was followed by renewed emigration, and in 1977 Oia had only 306 inhabitants. After the earthquake, the village redeveloped into an attractive tourist town of the Cyclades, and is known as a "picture perfect" town which gets crowded with people during the summer season.^[5][7]

Geography[edit]

Oia church with cupola painted blue and white washed walls

Oia is a scenic village on the north west edge of the Santorini island within the Cyclades.^[12] It extends for almost 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) along the northern edge of the caldera that forms the island of Santorini, at a height of between 70 and 100 metres (230 and 330 ft)above sea level. Immediately to the east is Phinikia (Φοινικιά; Finikia), and about 500 metres (550 yd) to the north is Tholos (Θόλος). The small fishing village of Ormos Armeni (Όρμος Αρμένης) lies below Oia to the south and is reached via steps. There is a ferry connection toTherasia from the harbour village of Ormos Ammoudi (Όρμος Αμμουδιού; also spelled Amoudi)^[12] to the west. There are 300 steps down to the port from Oia. The small island of Agios Nikolaos lies to the southwest.^[13]

It is built on the steep slope of the caldera and the houses and restaurants are built into niches carved into the caldebra on the seaward side. There are narrow passageways and a central square.^[5] The sun light hours in this village are much longer than in the Fira town. Its paths are very narrow and hence gets congested during the tourist season.^[5][7] The idyllic surroundings of the town have a complex of white washed blue domed churches and charming, traditional Cycladic houses and cave houses that are carved into the rock face on top of the cliff. It is set in a location which provides excellent views of the sunset over the caldera.^[7][14] To the southwest, the Bay of Armeni, reachable from the town on foot or by mule, was once an important boat-building centre. Small repairs are now done on a single wharf. Excursion boats for trips around the island and ferries to Therasia leave from here. The harbour of Ammoudi on the western side of the town is reached by steep stairs north of Fort Londsa; there are a few tavernas and a pebble beach.^[5][7]

The village is located on top of a hill, at about 150 metres (490 ft) elevation, and known as the "Eagles nest" from where Palia and Nea Kameni volcanoes are seen and also the island of Thirassia. It is situated to the north of the island and Fira is at distance of 11 kilometres (6.8 mi).^[13] The main street in the town, in the central square, is the main trekking path which is cobbled, called the "Nikalaou Namikaou", which goes up the hill winding round the caldebra. The island is reached from Fira which is the transport terminus of the island.^[5][14]Caldera boat cruise options are available from either Oia or Fira.^[15]

Climate[edit]

In Oia Greece the climate is generally temperate and mild. Winter is the wet season and summers are hot and dry. The absolute Maximum temperature on record is 40 °C (104 °F) in June and the absolute minimum in December is 0 °C (32 °F). Wind speeds varies between 56 kilometres per hour (35 miles per hour) in August and 98 km/h (61 mph) in October and February.^[16]

[hide]Climate data for Oia, Greece
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	14 (57)	14 (58)	16 (61)	19 (66)	22 (72)	26 (79)	27 (81)	28 (82)	26 (78)	22 (72)	18 (65)	16 (60)	20.7 (69.3)
Average low °C (°F)	9 (49)	9 (49)	11 (51)	13 (55)	16 (61)	20 (68)	23 (73)	23 (73)	21 (69)	18 (64)	14 (57)	11 (52)	15.7 (60.1)