THE MONASTERY
The Monastery is located about four kilometers from the town center and it was erected between 1713 to 1734 by the Metropolitan of Athens, Iakovos the Second. It is said that the Metropolitan erected the Monastery because he was suffering from lithiasis and when he drank from the natural spring, outside the monastery, he got well.

The Church that is built inside the Monastery is dedicated to the "Zoodochou Pigis" and many heroes of the Greek revolution are buried in the Monastery yard. One of them is the well-known Admiral Manolis Tobazis.

The daughter of the Italian painter Raphael Ceccholi, who is also buried in the yard, was the artist's inspiration when he painted the beautiful icon of the Virgin Mary in 1850.

THE LEMON TREE FOREST
The Lemon Tree Forest, one of the many tourist attractions on Poros, has been the inspiration for many poets and authors. Diagonally across from the center of Poros, the Lemon Tree Forest lies on the mountainside of "Aderes," and it is a must for the tourist. As the title suggests this a (dense) forest exclusively of lemon trees, not too far from one of the most beautiful beaches in the surrounding area (Aliki Beach). As the visitor approaches the forest he/she is overcome by the strong and refreshing smell of the lemon trees. A small but traditional taverna (Kardasis) welcomes the visitor who can listen to the sounds of natural running water and enjoy a freshly squeezed lemonade while watching Poros unfold below. The elevation at which the taverna is located, almost half way up the forest, offers one of the most beautiful views of Poros and its surrounding areas. As a matter of fact, on a clear afternoon one can even see the island of Aegina.

DEMOSTHENES
Demosthenes, the great orator and political figure of classical Greece, met his death in Kalavria, Poros. During the time that the Macedons had taken Athens, Demosthenes found refuge in Kalavria. However, he was followed by Archias, a fugitive hunter working for Antipatros.

Demosthenes retreated to a sanctuary at the Temple of Poseidon where he could not be arrested since it was considered sacred. Because Demosthenes would not come out of the sanctuary, Archias isolated him and vowed not to leave until Demosthenes came out.

The Athenian orator, preferring to die rather than fall into the hands of Archias, drank poison that he had stored inside a bamboo straw. Just before his death on September 23, 323 BC, Demosthenes cried out "I, my friend Poseidon, leave your temple and I go outside while I am still alive. But for Antipatros and the Macedons not even this Temple is sacred."<

Demosthenes' marble bust is displayed at the junction of one of the roads that leads into Poseidon's Temple.

THE TEMPLE OF POSEIDON
The temple is located almost at the center of the island and myth has it that Poseidon exchanged his Temple at Delphi with the one that Apollon had at Kalavria in Poros. The Temple of Poseidon is of the Dorian order and it has six columns on its short side and 12 columns on its long side (27.40 X14.40). The exact date that it was built remains uncertain. The year 520 BC is claimed by N. Faraklas, although I. Stamatiou claims that it was built around the 6th century BC, and still others claim that it was built much earlier.

According to Giannis Poulakis in his book, Poros and its History (p. 43), "The Temple of Poseidon soon developed into a prestigious and Panhellenic place of worship and became a center where many Hellenic cities founded the first and most powerful in the Hellenic world amphictyony*".

The amphictyony of Kalavria consisted of seven cities. After the dissolution of the amphictyony which is estimated to have occurred around the 5th century BC, the Temple of Poseidon continued to be a place of worship.

Although the Temple of Poseidon, the statues that it once had have been pillaged. For example what remains of Poseidon's statue (estimated to be about 5 meters in height) is the foot of the statue (about 70 centimeters long), which is stored in the Poros Museum.

* In short, amphictyony is a political and cultural association among cities with a common Temple of worship.

THE RUSSIAN NAVAL BASE
In 1770 when Russia and Turkey were at war, a Russian Navy flotilla visited the Aegean under the leadership of Alexi Orlof. Following a series of unsuccessful battles in the Aegean and after losing the naval battle in Limnos, Orlof ordered his frigate and the rest of the flotilla to retreat towards Italy. However, the Greek crews pleaded with him and convinced him to stay and continue the fight. Orlof changed his mind and decided to set up his command post in the naturally protected harbor of Poros. In 1834, the Greek State bought the Russian installations at Poros and founded the First Naval base in Greece. However, during the same year Russia decided to build new installations (warehouses) a few kilometers away from its old base, at the present point of the ruins of the Russian Naval Base, which is across the picturesque islet of "Daskaleio."

THE DEVIL'S BRIDGE
Only a few kilometers away from Poros across the water in the Peloponnese, there is a small natural bridge created out of two huge stones that unite the sides of the gorge underneath it. Surrounded by green and embellished by the running water, Devil's bridge is a pleasurable half-a-day outing to the Peloponnese. Its name, as myth has it, is derived from the Devil's footstep that is imprinted on top of the rock that forms the bridge.

EPIDAURUS
The ancient theater of Epidaurus is a great one-day trip or an afternoon-evening excursion and every summer the visitor is taken back to the era of Euripides, Sophocles and Aeschylus. One of the most beautiful ancient theaters of classical Greece, it is "buried" in the green hills and tranquil area of northeastern Trizinia. The theater is about one and a half hours from Poros and bus rides are organized by almost all the travel agencies on the island. Admission prices are around 3000 drachmas ($15), and plays are staged in both Greek and English.

OTHER ISLANDS
Using Poros as your base, you are right across from the historic Peloponnese (ancient theater of Epidaurus). You are also near the island of Aegina, about half an hour by boat to the north, and close to the islands of Hydra and Spetses about forty-five minutes and one hour by boat, respectively to the south.