Stenies, Andros

Greece Greece

Administrative Region : South Aegean
Regional unit : Andros

Stenies is a settlement in Andros and the Cyclades.[1]

General information

Stenies is located in the central part of the island, near its eastern coast and at an altitude of 80 meters.[2] It is approximately 6 km. N.-N.W. from Chora (seat of the municipality) and 34 km. E.-SE. from the main port of Andros, Gavrio. They are surrounded by 2 beaches: Gialia and Back Gialia,[3] while the Bisti Mouvelas Tower is one of the best sights in the village

The village of Stenia is divided into Apanochori (Panochori) to which the settlement of Palamidi belongs and Katochori, to which the settlement of Pera Banda also belongs, the houses on either side of the original road "Stenies-Giofyri-Fabrikas-Stratolatissa-Tripes" to Chora and the settlement of Gialia.

Sights
Bisti-Mouvelas Tower

One of the characteristic architectural remains of the island's glorious past are the tall square towers of the lords of the 17th-19th centuries, which were located inland. They had underground storage rooms and many rooms, while access was via an escalator and an elevated door.[4]

The oldest such structure is the three-story Tower of Bistis-Mouvelas in Stenies, with the inscription "Stamatelos Bistis" on the facade (1734). Both the Tower of Bistis and the other towers evolved after the 19th century and the development of shipping into today's mansions, which are considered a more elaborate and well-kept variation of them.[5]
Stenies - partial view.

The building went through three phases of reconstruction. The first may begin in the 13th century. It was built on the ruins of a square tower, which was probably medieval and even Byzantine. Its entrance was from the door of the basement. The windows were small and each one had its own "thermistra" (a structure that poured hot oil or water on attackers) for protection. On the existing building, he built two walls on the sides for support, which also expanded the area of the tower. An auxiliary building was built on the roof, which was later converted into a dovecote, closing both windows.[4][5]

Factory

The Factory or Embirikos watermill was a pioneering pasta factory for its time, the largest pasta factory in the Balkans. On a daily basis, it could process 36 tons of wheat and produce the corresponding amount of pasta. From 1864 to 1923, the Factory operated exclusively with water power, thanks to the largest vertical watermill in the Balkans. In 1923, and especially after a long period of drought, a steam engine was added to operate alongside the watermill. The factory closed in 1936 and was destroyed by fire in 1943.[6]
Path in Stenies.

Beaches

Yalia (from the word aegialos, which is why the correct spelling is with giota and not with ypsilon) is the bay of Stenies.

It has two beaches, (Bros as opposed to diacritic) Gialia (with a sandy beach of about 300 meters) and Piso Gialia (with a sandy beach of about 230 meters), separated by a rock, the "Snowdrop".[3]

Bros Gialia

The Melios River flows into Bros Gialia, which has an underground (under the beach) flow during the summer months and a visible surface flow during the rest of the year.

Piso Gialia

Piso Gialia is more protected from the meltemi than Bros Gialia. Another difference is that Piso Gialia has relatively shallower waters than Bros Gialia.
The chapels (and churches) of Stenia

The village of Stenia has many churches and chapels. There are 26 registered, which are as follows:

Northwest region

Agia Irini (Monastery) (*)
Agia Tsoura (*)
Agios Dimitrios
Agia Paraskevi
Taxiarchis (Lydaio)

Central region

Panagia (Assumption of the Virgin Mary) (parish)
Agios Giannis (under the courtyard of the Virgin Mary)
Agia Varvara
Agia Tsoura (Giatrou)
Agios Giorgis (Giatrou) old parish
Agios Giorgis (parish)
Agios Ioannis (Palaiokrassa)

Eastern region

Agia Triada
Panagia Stratolatissa
Agios Charalambos
Entries of the Virgin Mary
Agios Giannis (Gialia)
Agios Theodoroi
Timiou Stavrou
Agia Fotini
Koumoulos
Taxiarchis (Gialia)
Agios Savvas
Taxiarchis (Cemetery)

Northeastern region

Ais Giannis (in Platanos)

Theotokos (on the islet of Theotokos)

(*) have long since ceased to be celebrated by priests from Stenies.
Easter in Stenies

Lambriatis

In Stenies (as in almost all villages of Andros) the traditional Easter dish is Lambriatis, which is lamb or goat stuffed with eggs, cheese and various herbs and baked in a traditional wood-fired oven, as required by the preparation process.[7]

Maskoula.
Maskoula

The custom in the village of Stenies is also noteworthy and very famous, which takes place on the afternoon of Easter Sunday during the Second Resurrection and people gather from all over the island to watch it. These are the so-called Maskoulas, where young people place iron pipes in the ground, fill them with gunpowder and set them off during the procession of the icons of the Resurrection.[7]
Sources

http://www.viladora.gr/greece/village_SteniesGR.htm[dead link]
http://androssimera.blogspot.gr/2013/04/blog-post_6.html
http://androslocation.com/andros-stenies-fabrika/
http://www.golden-greece.gr/politismos/mpisti_andros.html Archived 2011-10-13 at the Wayback Machine.
http://www.steniotes.gr/
http://visit.andros.gr/easter2013/[dead link]
http://androssimera.blogspot.gr/

References

Encyclopedia New Structure. 32. Athens: Tegopoulos - Maniateas. 1996. p. 101.
«STENIOS (Village) ANDROS - Greek Travel Pages». www.gtp.gr. Retrieved on March 16, 2025.
admin. «BEACHES». andros.gr. Retrieved on March 16, 2025.
Papathanasiou, Manolis. «Bisti-Mouvelas Tower». Castrologist. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
"Bisti Tower - Mouvela". andros-guide.gr. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
Newsroom, Archaeology (March 26, 2014). "The Factory of Empiricos in Danger". Archaeology Online. Retrieved March 16, 2025.

Newsroom (April 15, 2022). "Easter in Andros: "Lambriatis" and the Battle of Stenies". KATHIMERINI (in Greek). Retrieved March 16, 2025.