This museum also hosts a Byzantine collection of icons and heraldic marks dating from the 15th century, ancient music manuscripts of the same period, roll books belonging to the 13th century, Early Christian capitals, and a folklore collection made of clothing , wooding carvings, a sewing machine, everyday tools, musical instruments, weapons, and sailing equipment, among others.
In fact, the Archaeological museum of Simi has gained the reputation of being very complete.
| The
Folklore Museum of Simi |
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Regarding the Folklore museum, it is placed in the parish of Lieni, in Chorio –at the back of the village- and it is not far from the Archaeological one.
This museum is settled next to a mansion that has been refurbished as its annexe, and belonged to a leading merchant, the Hatziagapitos Mansion. |
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In the case of the mansion, itsest displays consist of carved wooden chests and fragments of wall paintings; it also has photographs and costumes.
The Folklore museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 2pm, and the price varies along 1.50 and 2 Euro.
However, these are not the only two museums Simi counts on.
| The
Maritime Museum of Simi |
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On the way back to central Chorio, for example, a great 19th century pharmacy can be found, displaying apothecary jars and wooden drawers with exotic herbal remedies and other antique equipment pieces.
The Maritime museum is very popular as well, and it owes its existence to the fact that Simi used to be an important active port. Therefore, the museum is located at this port and has lots of artefacts on display from those times, such as shipyard tools and rigging blocks, among others.
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museums hosted by the
important monastery of Michael Panormitis. One of them
consists of ecclesiastical artefacts, and
the other one displays samples
of folk art including model ships and stuffed crocodiles.
In addition, exhibits usually include bottles with messages thrown into the sea by sailors.
These messages in general consisted of prayers to Archangel Michael, the patron saint of seamen, and many of them were accompanied by coins, or gold artefacts for the saint.
In conclusion, Simi has many museums among its places of interest, which are usually included in tours and excursions around the island.
These locations, apart from being very interesting, allow visitors to get in a closer touch with the rich past of the island and appreciate better its history and tradition.
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