The first thing someone encounters in his journey, approaching Mykonos by ferry from Piraeus or Rafina, is the imposing lighthouse on the island. Armenistis as it is named took its name after the homonym cape of Mykonos.
Built at an altitude of 184 meters in the northwest end of the island, Armenistis has been declared as a monument since 2012 by the Ministry of Culture and is one of the most important jewels of Mykonos. With a tower height of 19 meters, the lighthouse was built in 1891 after the sinking of the British ship «volta» in 1887 on the north coast of Mykonos, where 11 crew members drowned.
In 1927 the lighthouse mechanism was upgraded and from the 23 n.m. luminescence, it reached the 35n.m. During the occupation the lighthouse stopped working. It was firstly used by the Italians and later the Germans, as an observatory. The lighthouse after the war, in 1945, reopened with oil as energy source. In 1983 the lighthouse was electrified while in 1985 it was left by the last lighthouse keeper, as Armenistis had been fully automated.
The mechanism of the original lamp Armenistis was a SAUTER LEMONIER construction, and was awarded by the International Exhibition of Paris. Since 1983, it is exhibited in the courtyard of the Sea Maritime Museum, housed in a traditional Cycladic building of the 19th century, in the center of Mykonos, in Tria Pigadia nect to the part of Mykonos Folklore Museum, “The House of Lena.”
A pole of attraction for locals and tourists, Armenistis has a special place in the heart of Mykonian citizens. The lighthouse was recently conserved externally and -at times- has hosted exhibitions and concerts on summer nights.
Dreamily are the sunsets with view to the deep blue and canvas the panorama to the neighboring islands starting from the right and moving left: Tinos, Gyaros, Kythnos (in depth), Syros, Rinia and Delos.
