At Flerio area in the Faranghi (gorge) the visitor will have the opportunity to see two abandoned statues. The first is this of Kouros which is an unfinished statue with the right leg broken, while 700 meters away there is one more Kouros statue that is also unfinished.
The island of Naxos during antiquity was famous for the marble mines and the statue workshops. But some of the statues may have been damaged and abandoned during transport and due to this reason, they lie down incomplete in some places on the island like the area of Flerio near Melanes.
About Melanes
The settlement Melanes is one of the oldest in Naxos. The most prevalent legend about the origin of the name is the one about two brothers who fought for the governance of Naxos, they were both killed near the area where today someone can find the church of St. George. After their death, their sister ordered to bring two black capes (melanas in ancient Greek) to cover their bodies.
Melanes village is built in an extraordinary, green place with running water everywhere and is considered to be the jewel of Naxos, as it includes many interesting attractions from different periods of history. Some of the most important are:
- The Tower of the Jesuits, a medieval building from the 17th century that is considered to be one of the best medieval castles of Greece.
- The ancient unfinished statues at Flerio.
- Another monument includes parts of the ancient Greek and Roman aqueduct that was carrying water to Chora.
- Furthermore, the Byzantine temples of St George and Virgin Mary Kryptomatis are located in the area.
- And finally, castles and mansions of noble families of Naxos can be seen in the surrounding region.