Home

Mermaid statue “Panagia Gorgona” (Mermaid Saint) on Syros

On the Greek Island of Syros, by the water is a fountain featuring a mermaid and a fisherman.  The mermaid is Panagia Gorgona (which approximately means "Saint Mermaid" or "Virgin Mary the Mermaid"), patroness of fishermen.   The sculpture is a tribute to fishermen lost at sea.   map

Mermaid and Fisherman
Mermaid and Fisherman fountain on Syros. Photo © by OlivierJD.

Where better to have a mermaid statue than on a Greek Island?

The sculpture was created by sculptor Giorgos Xenoulis of Athens, who also created a mermaid statue fountain on the island of Poros.  It is based on a local legend, which has it that a fisherman fell off a boat at the mouth of the Kini Beach Inlet. A mermaid came to his rescue and swam him to shore, where she laid him on the beach.

References:
The Mermaids of Earth coffee-table book: See page 95 in the book about this sculpture.

Mermaids of Earth coffee-table book

Contribute additional pictures for this page here.