Ancient Milos Theatre Gets Makeover, Back as a ‘Beacon of Culture’

The ancient marble theater on the Greek island of Milos is back in action after undergoing six years of restoration works.

During a special ceremony this week attended by dignitaries, local authorities, ministers and MPs, the theater, built between the 1st and 4th centuries AD and overlooking the ancient port of Klima, was handed over to the public.

The Hellenistic period venue, made of famed Paros marble, is considered to be one of the finest preserved in the Cyclades with excellent acoustics and views.

“The ancient theatre of Milos is once again, after decades, a venue of culture,” South Aegean Prefect George Hadjimarkos said during the ceremony. “It is my great pleasure to deliver a great monument, not just for Milos but for the entire country. Completed with EU funds, it can now become what it was centuries ago; a beacon of culture,” he added.

With a spectacular view to the Aegean Sea, the venue once accommodated some 7,000 spectators. The renovation works — covered by National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) funds — was budgeted at 1,547,206.36 euros.

A traveling Jesuit monk came across the ancient theater in 1735, with the first excavations carried out 1816 by German architect Carl Haller von Hallerstein.