Discover the Hidden Gem of Lesvos: Agiasos, the COLORFUL Mountain Village!

Agiasos, the colorful mountain jewel of Lesvos
A village with a rich tradition, surrounded by nature and with special architecture.
Lesvos is the island of ouzo, olive oil and sardines. The island of villages with traditional architecture, old cafes that retain their character and hospitable people. The most beautiful of these villages is not seaside.
Agiasos is 27 kilometers from the city of Mytilene and is built at an altitude of 460 meters, on the slopes of Mount Olympus.
According to the prevailing opinion, the history of the village begins 12 centuries ago, during the period of the Byzantine Iconoclasm. Then the iconoclastic priest of the Agatha palaces, coming from Jerusalem, arrived in the area. He had with him Holy Wood, an icon of the Virgin Mary and a handwritten Gospel. He established his hermitage there and this place gained a great reputation throughout Lesvos for pilgrims. Little by little, Agathon's hermitage developed into a monastery. And the monastery in a settlement. All this thanks to the famous icon of the Infant Virgin Mary with the characteristic inscription "Mother of God Agia Sion". According to tradition, the name Agiasos arose from a corruption of the inscription.
We are transported hundreds of years later, to the beginning of the 18th century. The village acquires privileges with a sultanic firman. The inhabitants of Agiasos are exempted from paying taxes both to the Ottoman state and to the demogrondia of Mytilene. This causes a mass migration of skilled artisans from all over Lesbos who move there to sell their products duty free.
The village is experiencing tremendous growth. The firmani was abolished in 1783 but Agiasos has already become famous for its artisans and its products. When Lesvos passed into the territory of the Greek state, in 1912, the village had more than 7,000 inhabitants. Today, of course, it doesn't have that many, but it remains one of the most beautiful villages on the islands of Greece.
Its current architectural image with stone houses with colored windows and balconies is largely a consequence of the fire of 1877 that destroyed a large part of the village. The houses were rebuilt and the village acquired the image it has today. Anyone who walks the streets of Agiasos will be impressed by the many colors, which work perfectly in harmony with the vegetation.
Walk through the alleys of the village, sit in a cafe, enjoy the beautiful architecture. And buy a traditional item or souvenir from the many shops with elegant products.
The Reading Room
The building complex of the Agiasos Reading Room "The Development" is located in the square of the Town Hall at the lower entrance of the village. It is one of the oldest and most historic spiritual centers of the country. It was founded in 1894 , at the time when the island was under Ottoman rule, and it helped the education and cultural development of the village and the wider area. Today it has a library with over 25,000 books, a cinema and a folklore museum where one can learn a lot about the history of the village and Mytilini.
Panagia and her festival
The church of Panagia, the third in this location was built there in 1815 and attracts every year tens of thousands of pilgrims, not only from Lesbos, thanks to the icon of Panagia which tradition wants to be the work of the Evangelist Luke. In 1453, the Christian inhabitants of the village, seeing that the icon had worn out due to the passage of time, commissioned a hagiographer to create a faithful copy of the old one and hid the original inside. In 1838 the original image was found, but in very poor condition. The restoration of the damage caused by time was done by a specialist picture conservator. The old icon has since been placed in a wooden case with a double crystal inside a marble shrine in front of the replica icon of the Virgin that is on the iconostasis.
Thanks to this image, the great festival is organized here every year on the fifteenth of August, which attracts thousands of pilgrims, many of whom walk the route from Mytilini (27 km) and other villages of Lesvos. On the eve and on the day of August 15th, the village is full of street vendors, selling toys, trinkets and food. We hope this year, after two years of pandemic, the festival will be held again.
A place for hiking lovers
The nature around the village will certainly offer an unforgettable experience to those who love hiking. There are several trails, well maintained or repaired and properly marked, for hikers of all levels. There are others in less good condition. If we have to choose one, we recommend the one that leads to the top of Mount Olympus to enjoy the unique view (you can also get there by car).
When to go
Agiassos as an island and semi-mountainous village is a suitable travel destination for most of the year. But it is worth visiting especially at the height of spring to enjoy its nature.