Saint Pagratios

On the morning of July 9, 1956, an earthquake measuring over 7 on the Richter scale hit Santorini, with its epicenter in the sea south of Amorgos. The losses were huge, but fortunately there were not so many victims relative to the size of the earthquake--53 people died. The main reason for this was that most islanders had left their homes for their mainly agricultural work. Because the name day of Saint Pagratios is celebrated on that day, the island's inhabitants wanted to honor the victims of the island by building a monument on this hill while they began to build a small church in the saint's honor. The names of the victims from all the villages on the island are listed on the marble plaque. On the hill with the church, there is a beautiful view of the village of Kamari and the sea.