Paraportiani is a remarkable architectural complex that took its name due to its position next to the small northwest gate (“to paraporti”) of the medieval wall of Mykonos. It is a two-storey complex of five churches; four of them on the ground floor and the fifth one on the first floor. The latter is also the one that is named Paraportiani. It was built between the 16th and the 17th century and it is one of the most important monuments of the Aegean because of the unique characteristics of its structure. Without doubt, it is one of the most photographed sights of Greece.
It is located in the western part of the castle of Hora. It used to be the rectangular tower that covered one of the exits of the medieval fortress facing the rocky seashore. This specific exit (“to paraporti”) is a protected passage that leads to the churches of the ground floor. Paraportiani is built with a dome and there is an arched bell tower on the east side of the building.
