Monolithos Wiindmill ~ Griffmonsters Great Rhodes Walks

Monolithos Windmill

Easy walk to an historic windmill

A short walk to the historic windmill of Monolithos. This is a traditional Rhodian mill with a cylindrical stone tower and a distinctive timber cap with a conical roof. The windmill offers a panoramic view of the Aegean Sea and the nearby islets. It is one of the finest examples of medieval Greek technology and a symbol of the the village's and the island's rich heritage.

Monolithos Windmill - Essential Information

Walk Statistics (calculated from GPX):

Start location: Monolithos
End location: Windmill
Distance: km ( miles)
Total Gain: metre ( ft)
Total Descent: metre ( ft)
Min Height: metre ( ft)
Max Height: metre ( ft)
Walk Time:
Walk Grade: Easy
Terrain: Tracks

Maps:

The following maps and services can assist in navigating this route. There are links to printed maps and links to downloadable GPX route data for importing into navigational software and apps.

GPX Route File

Route Verification Details

Date of Walk: 05/10/2023
Walk Time: 15:00:00 to 16:00:00
Walkers: Griff, Kat
Weather Conditions: Hot, clear blue skies

Walk Notes

Any visitor to Monolithos cannot fail to notice the windmill that crowns the hill just 1 km across the valley from the village. Its charm provides both enticement and wonder, offering a lure during the day and a picturesque sight during the evenings, when ground lighting accentuates its presence under the starry heavens.

There is little information available as to the history of the mill. There have certainly been windmills across Rhodes island for centuries, and maps dating from the 1500s clearly show the many locations of windmills across the island (see Windmills of Rhodes - A study made in 1992). Despite this, none of these indicate Monolithos as a location for such a construction.

Of the information thus far garnered, we know that the mill has been restored to full working order in recent years, the restoration probably starting during the early 2000s. The finished result includes new timbers and drive mechanism, although upon our visit, the sails had been removed due to high winds.

The walk to the windmill is easy, navigating across the fertile valley. It did take us two attempts to gain access, having to seek guidance and information from local residents after encountering a secured gate across the track up the hill on which the windmill rests. The gate is tied midway down with a rope and secured at the top with a piece of metal chain link that has been bent into a bow shape and fits snugly across the top poles to retain them in place. This is not to keep people out but to secure the compound where a herd of domestic goats are kept. This is not patently obvious unless the herd is close to the gate when the soft sound of clanging goat bells can clearly be heard. If you are fortunate you can even see the herd.

To gain access, the rope is simply untied. The top metal tie requires squeezing both sides of the gate together, and then it can be released. This seems to be a common method of keeping gates in place in this area. Pass through and make sure the gate is secured back in place in a similar manner.

There is more track to walk, heading around to the left then twisting up the hill. The final section is a new paved footpath, created from mortar and stone, which leads up to the mill itself. A similar paved area surrounds the mill's circumference.

The windmill has been lovingly restored both in the stone structure and the working mechanism. This example is a typical Greek construction with a cylindrical body made of stone and a roof made of wood. The roof is set in position, so does not turn to face the direction of the wind but relies upon the constant onshore breezes that blow up from the coast.

The interior is split level, with the upper stage reached by a flight of narrow stone steps that curve around the circular wall. A horizontal spindle stretches out of the top section of the mill onto which the blades would normally be secured. The turn of the blades then rotates a main cog which, in turn, drives a vertical spindle that turns a grinding stone. This was obviously some kind of milling operation, probably for corn.

By the entrance door, carved into the stone, appear to be a series of letters, although it is difficult to make out exactly what each character is, let alone string them together into a word. Whether these have any significance to the mill or are just idle graffiti is unclear.

The photos speak for themselves and words cannot capture the essence of the windmill, its peaceful surroundings and the panoramic views.

Inscriptions or just plain graffiti on the door jamb to the windmill

A Little Piece of Local Folklore

One sultry afternoon, we sat supping a drink within the confines of Christos Corner Taverna, idly gazing across the valley towards the windmill. In between the casual conversations with our host, she revealed a piece of intriguing and tantalizing local folklore. She pointed to the hill with the windmill, and then to the sea beyond and she related this story.

High on the sun-drenched shores of Rhodes, nestled against the emerald slopes of Skiadi mountain, sits the ancient monastery of Panagia Skiadeni. Its whitewashed walls and terracotta roofs, bathed in the Aegean sun, whisper tales of forgotten times and divine wrath. One such tale, told by firelight in hushed tones, speaks of a pirate ship turned to stone, a monument to the Panagia's (the Greek name given to the Virgin Mary) unwavering justice.

In the age of billowing sails and bloodthirsty blades, fearsome pirates ruled the Aegean. Greed pulsed in their veins and their envious eyes fell upon the monastery, rumoured to house an icon of the Virgin Mary, said to possess miraculous powers. Driven by avarice, the pirates descended upon the sacred haven.

They ransacked the monastery, their laughter echoing through the hallowed halls. They tore down holy relics, their boots trampling centuries of piety. Finally, they reached the icon, a luminous visage of the Virgin cradling her child. A pirate snatched it, its divine light momentarily dimming in his grip.

That very instant, the mountain rumbled and groaned. The sky, once a canvas of cerulean, crackled with ominous thunder. A wave, the likes of which Rhodes had never seen, rose from the Aegean, dwarfing the pirate ship. As it crashed upon them, a blinding light engulfed the monastery, and a voice, as vast as the sea, boomed forth: "By the Mother's wrath, your greed shall turn to stone!"

When the storm subsided, the pirates were gone. In their place, a silent armada of marble, sails furled forever, eternally petrified in the act of their sacrilege. The stolen icon, however, lay untouched on the deck, the Panagia's sorrowful gaze fixed upon the petrified crew.

News of the miracle spread like wildfire, drawing pilgrims from across the Aegean. The monastery, rebuilt from the ruins, was renamed Panagia Skiadeni - "Our Lady of the Shadow," a constant reminder of the day darkness was vanquished by divine light. The petrified ship, now a tiny island known as Petrokaravos ("Stone Ship"), stands sentinel across the turquoise waters, a stark warning to those who would defile the sacred.

Though centuries have passed, the legend of Panagia Skiadeni endures. Visitors to the monastery still gaze upon the islet, imagining the cries of the petrified pirates, echoing eternally in the Aegean wind. It is a reminder that even the most hardened hearts can be touched by divine grace, and that justice, swift and unyielding, awaits those who trespass on the divine.

Sure enough, staring out down towards Apolakkia, in the distance we could make the stone ship. Sitting there in the water for all to see. The tale is centuries old and probably dates back to medieval times.

View down the coast - the Ship Island is just beyond the right of the picture

Directions

From Christos Corner take the track directly opposite, not the track off of the road into the town, but the one by the long parking shelter below the steps up to the taverna. The track is surfaced and leads down a long hill.
After 80m there is a junction of tracks, bear slightly left and take the track ahead which is the second option counting clockwise from entering the junction.
Continue for another 115m and bear right, ignoring the track on the left. Another track also leads of on the left after another 12m, ignore this and go straight ahead.
After 150m another junction presents itself, bear round to the left
After another 100m there is a crossing of tracks, take the left hand track
Follow this for 300m. This twists and turns with other tracks leading off of it. There will be a sharp right, then a sharp left. As the track approaches a curve to the right there is one track leading offon the left, then towards the end of the curve another track leads off to the left. Take this second track.
After 150m, a track on the left leads up the wooded hillside, take this.
There is a makeshift gate which is tied together via a rope and a metal link. This needs to be intied to gain access. This is in place to keep a herd of domestic goats within the compound that contains the windmill. Make sure this is firmly tied back in place after entering,
The path twists and turns for 310m up the hill. At the end there is a path that continues up above the woodland, through the scrub to the windmill itself