The Eledio Quartz Mines
Church Close Up
The original Agia Irini Church was built in the old village in the 18th century. The present Agia Irini Church, was built in 1954.
Up The Hill
Walking up the hill, you can see Eledio laid out before you. Apparently about 40 people live here, but I would have thought there were a few more inhabitants, judging by the amount of populated houses we could see. Perhaps some of them are holiday homes?
The Quartz Mine
All of a sudden, we found ourselves in front of a grate. Next to it, was a big sign, unfortunately all in Greek, presumably telling the story of the mine.
Very Deep Hole
This was pretty much the same picture I had seen previously on the internet. This is hardly surprising, as the presence of the grate limits the amount of photo opportunities. However, without the grate, this would be incredibly dangerous.
Quartz Mine?
But something is not quite right. If this was a mine, how did people get down there to dig? There was no sign of any ladder or well-type structure. Up until now, all the mines we had seen had been distinctly horizontal. This went straight down.