4 Best Sights in The Cyclades, Greece

Mykonians claim that exactly 365 churches and chapels dot their landscape, one for each day of the year. The most famous of these is the Church of Paraportiani. The sloping, whitewashed conglomeration of four chapels, mixing Byzantine and vernacular idioms, looks fantastic. Solid and ultimately sober, its position on a promontory facing the sea sets off the unique architecture. It's said to be one of the most photographed churches in the world.

The modern Greek Orthodox cathedral is a major landmark. It's worth a look inside for a view of the frescoes by local artist Christoforos Asimis. You'll quickly note how the local priests, with somber faces, long beards, and black robes, look strangely out of place in summertime, tourist-jammed Fira.

Next to the Greek Orthodox Cathedral is the Roman Catholic Cathedral, the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, from the Venetian period. The name and coat of arms of the Ghisi family, which took over Mykonos in 1207, are inscribed in the entrance hall.

The Orthodox cathedral of Mykonos is dedicated to the life-giving spring of the Virgin Mary, as its icon was found inside a well ("pigadi"). The church is also known as Angelohtismeni---built by angels; however, more prosaically, it was probably founded in the 1600s.