Petali is the name of two villages, Kato Petali (Petali Below) and,
because on its location on the hill above, Pano Petali (Petali Above). In the
local dialect, Petali means stony height, and is a commonplace name on the island.
Kato Petali is east of Apollonia,
built at the foot and on the gentle slopes of a hill. The building that stands
out on this village is that of the church of Zoodochou Pigis (1894). To raise
funds for its maintenance and restoration, the villagers sing the Virgin Mary's
Carols on January the 1st, the same melody as the Christmas carols accompanied
by local instruments. Of great interest is the stone-covered courtyard of this
church, with its traditional design patterns, as well as the architecture of the
houses, the object of a study by the German academic Friedrich Wagner and his
students. The old building that used to house the old primary school (1924-1994)
now houses the Music School of Siphnos.
East, of Kato Petali, you will find the old monastery of Saint John
the Chrysostomos (Saint John with the Golden Tongue), which was founded in 1650;
according to local tradition, this was where the first Greek school on Siphnos
was located, and where, too, the School of the Holy Sepulcher, known as the Helleno-museum,
was housed before it was moved to the School building of Saint Artemios. South
of the village, in the middle of an olive grove, you will find the beautiful church
of the Virgin Mary of Koukia (1614), also known as Myrtidiotissa.
This text is cited August 2004 from the Municipality of Sifnos URL below, which contains images
