Church of Panagia of Agiasos (Church of the Dormition of the Virgin)

At the centre of Agiasos is one of the most important pilgrimages in Lesvos, the impressive church of the Dormition of the Virgin. Its history is closely related to the icon of the Virgin Mary that is called “Agia Sion”, from which, through a corruption of the name, came the name of the settlement.

At the centre of Agiasos is one of the most important pilgrimages in Lesvos, the impressive church of the Dormition of the Virgin. Its history is closely related to the icon of the Virgin Mary that is called “Agia Sion”, from which, through a corruption of the name, came the name of the settlement.

The church was constructed in 1170-1173to house the icon brought together with other relics from Jerusalem by the priest-monk Agathon in the 9th century, during the period of iconoclasm. The icon was initially kept at a nearby monastery, while the bones of Agathon were placed in the location of the present day church. With the church as its centre, a monastery developed around it and gradually a settlement around the monastery. The monastery was dissolved in 1783, the church became a parish church and in 1806 it was demolished due to statics problems and they constructed a new church, which was destroyed in a fire in 1812, just before its completion. The present day church was constructed in 1815 and its interior was renovated for the last time in 1977.

It is a large three-aisled, basilica with a hip roof and a narthex with a colonnade that extends to the sides of the building. The bema has three altars, from which the right one is dedicated to Agios Charalambos and the left one to Agios Nikolaos. The church’s interior has an impressive decoration which was completed in 1838, as it is mentioned by an inscription in the narthex. The wonderful marble screen was initially lower in height and its upper part is a wooden addition, so well processed that the materials cannot be discerned easily. To a special shrine they keep the icon of the Virgin, the old icon that was revealed hidden in a secret case behind its exact replica, while there are still some remarkable portable icons that date from the 10th to the 19th century. The church also has a hostel, a folklore and ecclesiastical museum with a lot of precious relics, and celebrates in the 15th of August.

On the eve of the celebrations, thousands of believers arrive to Agiasos on foot from every corner of the island.