Agiasos (Greek: Αγιάσος/Ayasos) is a small town and a former municipality on the island of Lesbos, North Aegean, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it became a municipality unit that is part of Lesbos. It is located at the slopes of mount Olympos, at a height of 475 meters, 26 kilometers from Mytilene. It is known for its special bright green landscape, its narrow cobbled streets lined by ranks of tiled-roof houses, the traditional architecture and its restless and religious inhabitants.
Agiasos, the artistic and religious centre of the island, is a preserved settlement that has many to offer to visitors. The reading society of Anaptixi, a famous cultural institution, was established in 1894, when the village was still under Turkish rule. Today it has a great library, a theatre hall, a folklore museum and an active organisation which tries to continue the traditions that were passed by the old inhabitants.
There are many sights in the village, including several richly decorated historic churches, including that of the church of Panagia, a three-aisle basilica, surrounded by high walls since it was once a monastery. Inside, in front of the iconostasis, on an inclined support stands the miracle-working icon of Our Lady dating from the 4th century AD. It was brought to Agiasos from Jerusalem by the monk Aghathon the Ephesian.
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A lush landscape. I usually think of Greece as dry. - Margy
ReplyDeleteThe village church looks like a haven of rest from a hectic world.
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