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The Church of Panagia Faneromeni is located in the southern part of Antiparos, very close to the beach of Faneromeni. The name Faneromeni signifies that the Virgin Mary miraculously appeared to someone at that spot and leading to a church dedicated to that miracle to be built there.
The church was built by fishermen in honor of the Virgin Mary and can only be reached by boat. The Panagia Faneromeni church is renowned for its festival on the eve of the 7th and the day of the 8th of September when its name is celebrated. All residents as well as numerous visitors participate with religious solemnity to the festivals of Paros and Antiparos, attending vespers and, following the divine liturgy, contribute in their own way to the feast. Some bring the traditional alcoholic beverage, souma, or wine while others bring pies, revithada, or other delicacies they have prepared before at home and the festival culminates with feasting, dancing and singing that goes on for many hours.
The most famous Parian dishes are the kakavia, gouna (salted sun-dried fish), salatouri, kolokythokeftedes, tomatokeftedes, chickpeas in the oven, ambelofassoula, fava, karavoli, kalfa with skordalia. The cheeses are also exceptional. Xynomizithra, ladotiri, brine cheese, touloumisio and mizithra, combined with paximadi, and kritharokouloures. Housewives make spoon sweet, rafiolia, mizithropitakia, lambrokouloura, lazarakia, petimezenia (cookies using petimezi instead of sugar) and skaltsounia as well as the traditional alcoholic beverage souma.
