Worship

The most important sanctuary of the Chaleians was dedicated to Apollo the Islander (Nasiotes). Its location has not been identified with certainty yet. The epithet of the god suggests that his sanctuary may have been located on an island, possibly the small island of Apsifia, or at the top of today’s town where the church of Agios Nikolaos is situated, since the word island (νήσος) in ancient Greek means also peninsula. However, because it can also mean a mountainous locality with an abundance of water around it, the sanctuary could possibly have been located in the area of Agios Vlassis, which not only has these natural features but also has sheltered the most important archaeological findings from all the area (a bronze wheel with a votive inscription to Apollo, which is now in Boston).

Another place for common worship was identified in the cave of Akona or Angona west of Galaxidi, on the slopes of the mountain Xirotiri. An archaeological survey revealed many female statuettes, clay tablets and busts which indicate acts of worship (sacrifices and offerings) to a goddess of vegetation or fertility.