Phyle Tourist Attractions

The western and southwestern parts of the fourth century fortress at Phyle (which was excavated by Skias in 1900) have collapsed into the gorge, but considerable stretches of the walls of dressed stone, with four towers and two gates, have been preserved to the level of the wall-walk. The stones, measuring 2.75m/9ft by 38cm/1ft 3in, stand between six and 20 courses high. At some later period the interior of the fortress was infilled to the height of the walls.

Phyle, like Panakton (on the old road from Athens to Thebes) and Dekeleia (near present-day Tatói, on the east side of Mount Párnis), was one of a ring of frontier fortresses built in the fourth century B.C. to protect Attica against attack from the Megarid and Boeotia to the west. The road from Athens runs via Anó Liossía to the village of Filí (terminus of bus) and continues northwest past the Moní ton Klistón (4km/2.25mi). 6km/4mi beyond the monastery, at the end of the asphalted road, the fortress of Phyle can be seen on the left.Phyle stands in a rugged mountain setting on a rectangular plateau (alt. 638m - 2,241ft), commanding the pass which carried the old road from Athens to Tanagra in Boeotia. The site had probably been occupied by an earlier fortress in which Thrasyboulos assembled his followers in 403 B.C. for the attack on the Thirty Tyrants. The west and southwest parts of the fourth C. fortress (excavated by Skias in 1900) have collapsed into the gorge. Considerable stretches of the imposing walls of dressed stone have been preserved to the level of the wall-walk on the east and southeast. The stones measure 2.75m by 38cm (9ft by 1ft 3in.).

Going northwest from the village of Filí (or Chassiá) in the direction of ancient Phyle, we come in 4km/2.5mi to Moní ton Klistón, the Convent of the Gorges (on right).After passing a large modern school building we reach this small well-preserved nunnery, perched on the rim of the deep gorge of the River Gouras.The 14th C. domed cruciform church is dedicated to the Dormition of the Mother of God (Kímisis tis Theotókou).From the courtyard there is a cableway over the gorge to a spot marked with a white cross on the vertical rock-face opposite, where, according to tradition, an icon was found which led to the establishment of the nunnery.The cableway is used to take burning candles across to this inaccessible spot. Higher up the gorge was a cave sacred to the shepherd god Pan, the setting of Menander's comedy "Dyskolos".