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Iraklia island has two villages: Panagia, located in the centre of the island, and Agios Georgios, which serves as the main port.
Greece » Cyclades

Why Visit
Both these villages have traditional architecture but Agios Georgios is more tourist developed, as it offers few studios and a couple of fish taverns.

The island has many beautiful beaches around its coastline. Some of these beaches can be accessed on foot, while others are more remote and the trekking path is more difficult. The most famous and impressive beach is Livadi, a long sandy beach with crystal water on the eastern side of the island. However, the beach of Agios Georgios gets more popular due to its closeness to the port.

History
Iraklia is a small island that belongs to the Small Cyclades complex. It is known that the history of Iraklia started in the ancient times but there is very little information regarding the island's history the following years, especially in the Medieval times. Excavations in the area of Livadi, on the north eastern side of the island, have brought to surface remains from the 3rd millenium B.C. and a ruined castle of the historical times.

In the Venetian Era, the island belonged to the administration of Naxos but it was not constantly inhabited. During the Medieval times, Iraklia was a shelter for the pirates who activated in the Aegean Sea and this did not allow people to live permanently on this Cycladic island. When piracy was confronted by the Greek Navy in the 19th century, people moved to Iraklia. They built two settlements, Agios Georgios, which serves today as the port, and Panagia, a smaller village in the centre of the island. A third century, Agios Athanasios, was gradually abandoned and today there are only few ruined traditional houses there.

Museums - Archeological
The small island of Iraklia does not have a museum. If you are interested in history and ancient sites, you can visit the remains of a Medieval Castle on the hill of Livadia, on the eastern side of the island. Of much interest would also be a visit to the cave of Saint John, on the southern side of Iraklia, close to Panagia village. This cave has wonderful formations of stalactites and stalagmites and can be reached on foot.

More museums can be found on the neighboring island of Naxos, one of the most popular Cycladic islands. Naxos is daily connected by ferry to Iraklia and is rich in museums. In Chora, you can visit the Archaeological Museum with exhibits found during excavations all over the island. Also, the Ancient Town Museum is a visit to the excavating site of the ancient town of Naxos.

Beaches
Livadi, Agios Georgios beach, Port beach

Religious Monasteries and Churches
Given the small size of Iraklia, visitors will find a few churches scattered in the entire island. It is worth mentioned that both settlements of Iraklia are named after their churches that were built through the centuries. Chora or else Agios Georgios was named after the church of Agios Georgios, the largest church of Iraklia. It is built in 1834 above the main settlement. On April 23rd, there is a great festival with local food and music.

The largest church of the island is dedicated to the virgin Mary and lies in the picturesque village of Panagia. It was founded between 1919 and 1930. Right next to it, lies the small chapel of Agios Nektarios. At the highest peak of the island lies the church of Prophet Elias. Iraklia has a few caves of unique interest but you will have to walk to discover them. The most important is the cave of Saint John (Agios Ioannis) with stalagmites and stalactites. It takes about two hours from the port.