Agiasos

Agiasos is a large settlement, amphitheatrically built on the slopes of Mount Olympus, and a genuine traditional village of Lesvos with beautiful stone houses with red-tiled roofs and wooden balconies, the “sachnisia.” Its narrow, cobbled alleys are also characteristic. Although not coastal, it receives many visitors in summer thanks to the church of Panagia of Agiasos, which celebrates on 15 August, when a large festival is held. The monastery was built to house the icon brought by the monk Agathon from Jerusalem in 803 BC. From the inscription on the icon, “METER THEOU HAGIA SION,” comes the name Agiasos, from the paraphrase “Agiasón,” later “Agiasos.” Finally, it is surrounded by rich natural environment with a variety of trees and a vast chestnut forest, and its flora includes rare anemones, cyclamens, peonies and wild orchids.