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I hope you enjoy the photos. Any comments, please E-mail me, . All photos by John L. Polos Copyright August 23, 2001 |
Part of the joy of Lesbos is that it still retains traditional villages. Agia Paraskevi is one such village.
The village is named for the church of Agia Paraskevi, which is found in a cave in
one of the highest points of the town. The town is still a powerful cultural and
economic center of the island. Every year they are known for their celebration of
the Bull in which a bull is sacrificed for good fortune and is a major event for the
entire island. Another major traditional celebration is "Clean Monday", the first
Monday of lent where the village celebrates a festival. The city is also a rich
economic center will olive presses and animal husbandry. The village contains
many traditional houses that show the Venetian influence/occupation on(of) the island. (A very angry gentleman sent me an
e-mail about that line. The Romans and Venitians were expert theifs. Roman style is a copy of the
classical Greek style. The Venitians went one step further and copied the Byzantine stlye when the rest of
Europe was in the dark ages. However, The venitians did control the island and left many of their buildings behind!) The best
thing about the village is the feel, which is difficult to show with photos. Agia Paraskevi feels
like a real village, not a city, not a tourist trap. Locals sit at tavernas that line
the main street and socialize. Everyone knows everyone and people get around of foot,
not by car.The entire village shuts down in the afternoon for people to spend time with family and get out of
the hot island sun. It is also a very picturesque village. The villagers looked at me as if I was
crazy taking so many photos of this little town, however I it has some really beautiful homes and gardens.
This was my favorite village on the island. It's hard to describe why but there was just a good feel to the village. A sense of relaxation. A sense of belonging.
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