Chapels are also ubiquitous on Mykonos. Nobody knows exactly how many; some say 600, others claim more than 1,000. Locals continue to build churches even today, and on the eve of a saint's day, vespers are followed by a communal feast with singing and dancing, a living trace of ancient sacrifices to the gods.
The Byzantine Panagia Paraportiani is often described as the "Parthenon of folk architecture". Built in the late 16th or early 17th century in Kastro, its name derives from paraporti, the secondary entrance to the medieval castle or city walls, which no longer exist.
Today, the austere landscape of Mykonos is still dominated by white houses of pure geometry, dry walls laid stone by stone to mark the boundaries of landowners, and hard-edged rocks. These organic forms always create spectacles of shadow and light under the sun's rainbow; their footpaths remain magically silent despite the surrounding summer noises; the whitewashed stairs are still lined with fragrant pots of basil and bougainvillea bursting over the balconies. Wild plums, reeds, flowers and prickly pears continue to grow in the fields. The moon shines over the rooftops and lizards spring out of nowhere wherever you go. Every single day is a constant reminder of how lucky one is to live on this island, absorb its energy and leave a footprint on its golden sands.
Mykonos has undergone a radical transformation from one of the poorest islands in Greece to one of the most glamorous.
Its reputation for unbridled hedonism appealed to playboys, aristocrats and bohemians alike, as the harbor teemed with the yachts of Greek shipping tycoons like Aristotle Onassis, who opened a heliport in 1971, and Jacqueline Kennedy.
Groundbreaking, gender-bending Mykonos became a gay mecca and, perhaps inevitably, a muse for the fashion pack, too. Its bleached alleys and blond beaches provided iconic backdrops for Richard Avedon, Norman Parkinson and, later, Ellen von Unwerth, whose 1991 campaign for Guess featured Claudia Schiffer. Jean-Paul Gaultier, Thierry Mugler, Alexander McQueen, Giorgio Armani and Valentino returned every summer with an entourage of cover girls - Pat Cleveland, Fiona von Thyssen and Naomi Campbell.
