The evolution of Cycladic architecture is directly related to the climate, history, social and economic conditions that have also prevailed throughout the years. The development of the wider Aegean settlements was affected by the instability created by the pirates. This is why the houses are so close and the alleys are so narrow. Mykonian architecture has adopted some of those characteristics but also created its own features most noted in the houses, churches and chapels, which have asymmetrical and smooth corners giving a special harmony. It is the blend of the classic with the island spirit.
Mykonian Houses
Most houses have two floors and are connected by an external staircase. There are buildings believed to be more than two centuries old, and now serve as museums and exhibition spaces.
Architects took into account several details that all affected one another – human needs, local materials, the natural elements of the sun and wind, the notorious and unscrupulous pirates and sea salt. The end results were that these architects created a type of house with a simple, clean format perfectly tied with the bright landscape, creating what we call “local color.” Pun, intended. White cube houses without roofs, built one next to the other, appear to almost cut into the narrow alleys.
Locals always built their homes with frugality and location in mind, after they had also to have room for their animals, barn, threshing and wine press. The integral extension of the house was always built the family church, which was also used as an ossuary.
The outside of the house was elaborately carved, which often revealed what the profession of the owner was. For example, sailors painted doors and shutters blue, farmers in green and the others red. These are the colors that could be found on the island even today. We encourage you to take a walk and count how many different-colored doors you can find.
For the roof construction, all buildings needed canes or boards, which were supported by beams made of chestnut. Up to this construction, believe it or not, groomed algae was used to help waterproof the materials, smeared into the sludge, which was regularly calcined in order to create an impermeable crust. Talk about using natural resources!
Mykonos Countryside
The Mykonian house in the countryside was adapted to the climate just as the houses in Chora, or town, were adapted to the climatic conditions and configured according to the needs of the resident. You may notice that roofs in the countryside have flat roofs. This barrier is a necessary element of the house structure. In this way, wind resistance decreases and many terraces collect the precious rainwater that falls into tanks for the year needs. Buildings in villages are adapted to rock. The builders built on a solid foundation, so there is no wasted arable land. The double doors are sectional, wooden panels placed internally to enable entering light in the morning at home without having to open the sash that will bring in air.
Domestic granite was cut into irregularly shaped stones with plaster made from a mixture of sand and lime, and is found to be the characteristic plasticity of surfaces and volumes in Cycladic building tradition.
The orientation of the house is usually southeast in order to be best positioned to the natural light. The wall thickness is approximately 60 to 80 cm in order to act as a natural thermostat, keeping the heat out in the summer months.
For the same reason, windows are small on the north side, where there was always one opening, which cools the house in summer due to the winds. The same premise is applied during the wintertime, one small window prevents the cold winter air from getting in. As many people may have guessed, the white color of the walls limits the heat absorption.
Mykonos Chora
The development of Mykonos town essentially reinforces the impression of a labyrinth, but also creates a unified urban area with a seamless and impressive street plan. Although the development of the country lasted several centuries, additional configurations and adaptations of new sections always ended in the same functional and aesthetic result. This is because of the same height of buildings – mainly two floors – and the rhythmic repetition of uniform external material elements (i.e. openings, the balconies, the stairs, the terraces) and colors. The pots with flowers and the regular painting of the roads make the common areas resemble a familiar interior.
As time passes, street and urban planning require the logic of central planning. There is a strong effort to preserve the traditional architecture of the island through numerous laws enacted. The rapid development of tourism entrains simultaneous explosion of residential development. Law enforcement, paired with the lack of effective control, creates an uncontrolled building construction which substantially alters the island landscape.
Visitors pulling up into port may realize that Mykonos is one of the most densely built islands in the Cyclades. Nevertheless, the character and feel of the island’s architecture remains in compliance and favored with the exception of Mykonos Town and other traditional communities that preserve unaltered their long architectural history.
Mykonian architectural monuments are scattered throughout the island. From Little Venice to Windmills, endless churches to museum buildings, from old farmhouses in Ano Mera to Armenistis lighthouse, visitors can discover and feel the incredible energy Mykonos hides through centuries of its history and buildings.
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