Looking upon the horizon, towards the western Ionian sea, the gaze falls upon the little island of Zeus. Half a nautical mile from the coast (SE), the rocky islet of Dias (Zeus), has been part of Kefalonia’s history since ancient times.

Thousands of years ago, when Greeks worshiped the 12 Gods of Olympus, a sacrificial altar dedicated to Zeus was built on the highest peak of Mount Aenos (now one of the 11 National Parks of Greece and a European protected area in Kefalonia).

In ancient Greek society, the altar was not only a feature of a temple setting, but it was principal in animal sacrifice (an activity that designated an area as being sacred to the gods).

Similar to the altar of Zeus at ancient Olympia, the altar of Zeus at Mt Aenos is believed not to have been constructed of stone, but of organic material, such as bones and ash that accumulated from hundreds of years of sacrifices to the god Zeus. Thereby the name given of “Megas Soros” (meaning literally: huge pile) and to Zeus as “Ainios” or “Aenesios”.

Communicating sacrifices were not rare in antiquity. Processions, with their strongly performative aspects, created communication between sacred spaces, by which means a ritual topography was constituted. In this case, it is believed that when priests and priestesses would begin the sacrifice at Olympia’s Zeus altar, the smoke rising to the sky would be seen from the top of Aenos Mt (1,623m altitude), a sacrifice would then take place there, and subsequently to the islet of Zeus, perceptible from Aenos with SW orientation.

A little orthodox church was built (it is not yet officially dated) on the top of the islet probably by hermits, while in 1805 three hieromonks (priest-monk) would live and act there. During the 19th century, the Vlahernon monastery was built on the island of Dias.

Monks from the island used boat to travel to mainland kefalonia in order to cultivate olive trees and vegetables. They used a plot of land known as the “Perivoli of Dias”, translated to “Zeus’s orchard”. It is this land, that the three villas Pasithea, Charis and Faenna are built on. Looking directly to the island of Zeus, the plain leading at the beautiful coastline and the majestic Ionian blue!

In our days, every 2nd of July, early in the morning, fishing boats will carry over people from the main island (mostly SW Livatho residents) along with the priest assigned the ceremony dedicated to Panaghia Diotissa (Holy Mary of the islet of Dias) and the sacred image (icon) of the Panaghia decorated with fresh flowers. After the ritual a little feast is offered to all the people gathered (tourists as well) with blessed bread (artos).