Moudros & Southeastern Limnos

Moudros

The area in Moudros was inhabited since prehistoric times. The name Moudros is of unknown origin. The most probable considered the version that emerged because of a granite rock from solidified lava that existed near the port and it was where the sailors were lashing their ships.

The Church of Taxiarches was built in 1835. It is a three-ailed with a subsequent exonarthex and the wooden temple is a replica of the temple of a church in Smyrni. The church of the Evangelistria was built in 1903-1904. It is three-ailed basilica with towers on the bell tower and has impressive architectural elements. The epitaph is a gift from admiral Kountouriotis. On the site where the temple was built, formerly there was the dependency of Agia Marina of Koutloumousiou of which the Holy Table and some buildings are saved. The dependency had a tragic ending. The Turks burned it down with seven monks, when in a well of the dependency they found dead some Turkish officers. Only two monks survived, who fled to Koutloumousi and denounced that the Turks had been killed by local residents, in order to incriminate the monks, the dependency to be and to take ownership its fields. Then the abbot excommunicated the village, which was solved solemnly just a few years ago.

In 1912 Moudros became well known throughout Greece, when admiral Koudouriotis rendered it as a base of operations of the fleet during the Balkan Wars. During the First World War experienced great traffic, since it was the seat of the English military administration. In the nearby hills towards Koukonisi and Fanaraki tens of thousands of soldiers encamped. The port was converted into a naval station in order to serve the allied fleet who anchored in the bay. The southern beach, the so-called "Airport" formed as a landing site for seaplanes. Hundreds of dead soldiers from the Gallipoli expedition, mostly Australians and New Zealanders, were buried in the British cemetery, which is maintained until today. In 1918 the village gained worldwide fame when the "Treaty of Moudros' between Turkey and the allies was signed there. After the war, for a time, t Moudros became a place of exile. In "Cantata for Makronisos" Ritsos refers to "our dog Dick, of Moudros group, who was killed by the gendarmes because the loved the exiles very much ."

Roussopouli

The village named after the Byzantine landowner Rosopoulos or Roussopoulos. According to the tradition, the village was originally built northeast of the current site near Chortarolimni, close to the sea, but the residents abandoned it out of fear of piracy and moved it behind the hill Korakas.

Remnants of old temples exist at various points in the rural area of Roussopouli which is a proof of earliest habitation. Most features are the remains of Agioklapsou (Agios Climis), where you can see fragments of marble columns, proof of the existence of a Byzantine church.

Kaminia

According to the tradition, the village was initially located at the beach of Vroskopos, where Byzantine cemeteries have been found. The village's name came from the existence of kilns in which either the people manufactured clay pots or melted metals. During the decade of 1920-1930 excavations were started which revealed the prehistoric city Poliochni. In the area of Kaminia there are many attractions of particular importance. You can visit there the carved Pelasgian tombs, the "Column of Kaminion" the church of Koimisi tis Theotokou which was built in 1852, the old fountain and theTurkish inscription, the bust of the author Argyriou Moschidis and the stone paved square.

In Kaminia there are many old chapels. Specifically, Agios Alexandros of Sokastro (1930), Agios Alexandros of Ancona (1911), Agios Alexandros of Merpia (before 1900), Agia Barbara (before 1917), Agios Vlassis (before 1900), Agios Georgios of Vroskopos, Agios Georgios of the Harbour (1882), Agios Ioannis of Mesarachi (1873), Agios Ioannis of Kaminia (1881), Agios Dimitrios (1884), Agios Nicholaos (1861), Kato Panagia (1916), Agia Paraskevi (before 1900), Agia Pelagia (1878), Agios Stratis (1899).

Very beautiful beaches in the area are Xespasmata, Molos and Kokkinovrachos / Agia Triada.

Μετά την περιήγηση σας στο χωριό και την ιστορία του, θα καθίσετε στην ταβέρνα της πλατείας, που λειτουργεί όλο το χρόνο, και θα απολαύσετε ντόπια κρέατα, εκλεκτούς μεζέδες, λημνιά φάβα και ζαρζαβατικά από το περιβόλι του ιδιοκτήτη. Αν βρεθείτε στα Καμίνια δεκαπενταύγουστο, οι ντόπιοι στήνουν τρικούβερτο γλέντι, που δεν πρέπει να χάσετε.

Agia Sophia

Since 1918 when the Municipalities and Communities had been established, Agia Sophia has always been a settlement of the community of Fisini. Along with Skandali were the villages of Skala from the homonymous nearby medieval fortress and their inhabitants were called Skaliotes. Agia Sophia named after the homonymous church, which has been destroyed and rebuilt many times. Tradition says that the original settlement was situated western, at the site Paliomantra near Moudros Bay, where there are ruins, an old cemetery and the church of Agios Nicolaos. The relocation took place by common decision, after a pirate raid from Psarians during a wedding. Rather it is the raid that Sathas said that became "in Mountros and the nearest parts of his" shortly after Orlofika. The residents lifted even the stones of the old houses whitch they used to built the new ones. Although there was no water, they preferred the site Kalivia Agiasofias, as it was called by then, because it was safer. The original inhabitants were about 35 people. The rest of them, chose to settle in the village Skandali because it was closer to their properties. In two locations around the village we can see ruins of medieval facilities. Parthenomtos, west of the village, from where the residents moved in Skandali and Agiomarnos and east of the village, close to the coast, where besides the ruins of old houses we can see a ruined church. This is Agios Marinos, a church which is mentioned in 1355 in a document of the monastery of Lavra. Marble columns have been found there, while there is a chapel of Agia Marina and a deserted chapel of Saints Constantinos and Helen.

In the region of the village also belongs Paradisi hill (286 m) which dominates in southeastern Limnos. Fossilized tree trunks have been found on its slopes and there are pastures and big areas with bees while rabbits and partridges are abundant. That is why a large part of Agia Sophia has been declared as a protected zone for the fauna.

Scandali

The village is first mentioned as one of the 25 settlements of Limnos which constituted a Patriarchal Exarchy in 1321. According to the tradition, the village was built by Abbot Scandalios of a nearby monastery. Another tradition says that a foreigner who settled in the area, scandalously managed with fraud and intrigues to become the lord of the place and the people called him Scandali. Then, the village was a thousand meters to the west, in the site Drys where today we are able to see ruins and the church of Agios Konstantinos. When an earthquake destroyed the old village, Scandalis pioneered its transportation to its present location, that’s why the new village named after him. We can see that both traditions converge on that village's name came from the name of its founder.

There are four churches in the village with protector Saint, Agios Nicolaos which was built around 1880. The village has a healthy climate and abundant water, so that the cavalry of the allies settled in the fertile plain which stretches to the south during the First World War. There are still huge water tanks which were built for storing water.

Fisini

In the local dialect but also in Community documents of the 19th century the village was referred as Visin (1856) Fsin or Psin (it), and the inhabitants with anagram: Sfnades. So the feminine type was prevailed: Fisini which was attributed to the verb blow because in the area "f'sa, sfniz ' means raises tornado (cyclones).

We can still see today the ruins of the fort Skala near the village Fisini in the area called "Towers." Skala was a medieval fortress of Limnos. It is not known when the church of the village, Agios Ioannis was built, but it is similar with others of the 19th century. It was a three storey fort, but after the earthquake of 1968 it was considered risky and one floor was removed with great difficulty because the grouting of the stone was done by lead.

During the Byzantine period, protector of Llmnos was Agios Alexandros, whose relic was kept in Limnos until 1308. But then, in a pirate raid His relic was stolen and transferred to Venice. Since then, the memoralization of Agios Alexandros as the protector of Limnos gradually weakened. Many twists and tragic events occurred on the island, such as pirate raids, strifes of imperial families for the control of the island, invasions of Franks and Byzantines who succeeded one another, the Venetian period after the fall of Constantinople and finally the Ottomans in 1479. All these changes have led old habits to be forgotten. The island began to recover from poverty and illiteracy from the mid-18th century. Merchants and sailors of Limnos came into contact with Europe, Russia and Egypt. They acquired wealth and began to rebuild their old humble and often ruined temples of their villages. The ship masters who sailed in Constantinople, Smyrna and Alexandria and in the ports of the Aegean and the Black Sea. On their way to the Dardanelles they were gazing their island from afar. A chapel, which was long been in the northeast coast of Limnos, was giving them courage and strength to continue the battle with the sea. It is the temple of Agios Sozon, which is located near Fisini. The sailors considered Agios Sozon as their savior because once he saved the castaways by turning his cloak into a boat. Similarly the inhabitants of the island who were waiting for their relatives to return from the sea, they were praying to the Saint to bring them back healthy. So for Limnos naval profession and for their families, Agios Sozon gradually became the protector saint, at the feast of which they had to go every year on Sept. 7th. Towards the end of the 19th century he is honored as the patron Saint of Limnos.

Μountainous Limnos

Kornos

The village got its name from the fountain that existed in the settlement and its plentiful waters. There is a aspect that the name was derived from the settlement Kourouni of Agios Dimitrios. Many benefactors of the island, mainly Egyptians migrants come from Limnos. Best known was Ulysses J. Pantelides, who gave the money for the purchase of Pantelideio.

Not far from Kornos we find Therma with its healing, hot springs. The water in Therma is welling from two sources. It comes from a depth of 1200 meters and has a temperature of 42-44 degrees. It's healing and is recommended for both balneotherapy (arthritis, osteoporosis, rheumatism, arthritis, spondylitis) and for drinking therapy (kidney stones, gallstones). It contains minimal amount of salts,it is clear and palatable. In Therma there were operated baths since at least 1548. It is mentioned by Belon that in that time, there was a small changing room room and a vaulted chamber with a stone bathtub, which survive today in newer buildings. In a map which accompanies an edition of 1588, a road is marked that connected Kastro with Thermes and the nearby hill of Profitis Elias. This road, which continued to the eastern Limnos, was in use until the early postwar years when a realignment was made. Today the water of the source is used for drinking by many Lemnians, who flock there and fill up their flasks from the old fountains which were built in 1908.

Sardes

The village corresponds to the Byzantine settlement Ardia or Ardeiai which existed in northwestern Limnos. Over the years by the expression "st's Ardeies - st's Ardes" arosed the place name Sardes. According to the local tradition, the residents were forced to move from the coastal place Ardes, because of the pirate risk. After an epidemic, the inhabitants abandoned the new place and moved to its present position. The church of the village is Agios Dimitrios. It is a basilica, has two bell towers of Notre Dame style and reminds the churches of the European cities. Agios Dimitrios was built in 1852 at the expenses of the residents and the prelate, as mentioned in an inscription. In 1874, a three-grade school was founded in Sardes, one of the twelve that were created in Limnos. In 1882, was housed in a new building made of stone, which was located in the position that today we find the war memorial of the village. In 1912, it was demolished and with the same materials was rebuilt in a new location.

Katalakkos

The village took its name by the location where is built, in a deep stream. It is hidden so well, that the visitor is able to see it only when he reaches the edge of the upper hill. Before the relocation at the present position, for protection from piracy, many residents were living on the north coast of the island, in Gomati (an area with extensive beach and medieval remains). The church of the village, Agios Modestos, was built in 1856 at the expense and work of the residents.

The church has a simple couple roof and in the interior the colorful panels of wooden carvings are dominating, work of the early 20th century. In this area we find the Sand dunes, a sandy area of 70 acres away from the coast, and also Ammdes where the "lily of the sea ' which is a protected flower grows in August.

Daphni

The original name of the village was Sverdia and appears to be related with the medieval word sivergidia which means many osiers. The place name Sivergidia, which refers to chrysobulls from Mount Athos that were found in the nearby dependency Charakas, reinforces the above aspect. In 1956 the village was renamed into Daphnei, from a large oleander that dominates in the area, because the place name Sverdia was jarring. In 1858 Conze visited the village and noted it on the map as Swerdia. He designed a ancient bas-relief which was embedded in the small church of Agios Dimitrios and was pointed out to him by the priest. This temple, which was old, is called today Agios Dimitrios Chouchlou. At that time, the temple of Agioi Anargiroi was being built, which was completed in 1872. It has a beautiful wooden carved temple. As it is reported, some native sailors brought the necessary stones for its construction from Malta and the inhabitants carried them from the coast with animals.

Rural Limnos

Agios Dimitrios

The village was established after 1922 by refugees from Asia Minor, from Reizntere OF Erithrea. Earlier there was a small Turkish village, Lera. The residents rescued the following legend about the origin of the name of their village. There were two brothers once who inherited Limnos by their lord father and decided to share the island with boundary the point they should encounter, starting with the dawn , one from Plaka and the other from Kastro. But the one who started from Plaka, left earlier and covered a longer path. When they finally met, his brother understood the trickiness and called him "lera" Thus the meeting point acquired the appellation Lera. In 1947 the residents renamed it into Agios Dimitrios, in honor of the patron Saint of the church of their lost homeland.

Livadochori

Livadochori is located at the center of the island, at the exact position where the roads coming from Myrina and Kontia are intersecting and lead to the eastern Limnos. It named after the extensive plain which surrounds it. According to tradition, the village was originally built further west, between the churches St. Ioannis and St. Vassilios. Its initial name was Kefalochori. An epidemic, forced the inhabitants to move to the current position.

Karpasi

According to the local tradition, the village was located in the valley where today is the airport, specifically in the site Trochalomandra, where debris and ruins of houses have been found. But the pirate attacks, forced the inhabitants to move to the low high ground Karpas, which is east of the great plains of central Limnos. About the origin of the place name, various versions have been formulated. In one version, the appellation of the hill and then the village came from the Turkish «karabas: black head" in a second of the «kalpak: kalpaki, abbot cap" while a third, connects the place name with the plant "Karpas: type of flax or cotton," which was abounded there.

Atsiki

The village's name is attributed to A variation of the ancient name Attica, revealing the existence of an ancient settlement there. Another view, that the name came from the Turkish "Atsik: open (place)" because of the great plain which surrounds IS NOT VALID, since the place name had already been mentioned in the 13th century, long before the Turks came to Limnos.

Considerable people of letters and the arts originate from Atsiki. John Fotiadis, important sculptor who came from Asia Minor. Peter Charanis (1908-86) renowned Byzantologist who was the dean of Byzantine studies in the U.S.A. Tasos Kapsidelis(1913-1987), the tireless historian and philologist who authored four important historical books about Limnos. The doctor Stavros Tragaras, who was also painter, poet and the soul of the Association of the people from Atsiki inAthens, with notable initiatives such as the publication of the newspaper "The Voice of Atsiki" the organization of thematic seminars for literati of Atsiki and stonecutters, for cotton. George Tsimouris, professor of sociology at the Panteion University, with studies on the movement of populations from Asia Minor in the villages of Limnos, their manners and customs.

In Atsiki there is the church of Agios Georgios, with its stone carved bell tower and also the beach Agios Ermolaos (Agiarmola) with its rare rock formations.

Northeastern Limnos

Varos

The place name refers to the 15th century and is of unknown origin. Formerly the village was five hundred meters southwest of the present location on the hillside "St'vanos", opposite the bay of Moudros, where today is the settlement Anemoessa. Due to the risk of pirates, the residents moved Varos in the valley which is located between the hills Plagia and Lagada. Above the village, there is the hill "Despot", which probably owes its name to the governor of the island, which had the title "Despot of Limnos" in the late Byzantine period and from this hill he controlled the position of the Terra Lemnia mining. In the same area, there is a residue of a volcanic crater, which is identical to the ancient volcano Mosychlos known from ancient sources. In the region a petrified tree has been found.

Lychna

It is the first village that someone faces while entering the Gulf of Moudros, which is why according to the tradition, the name came from the lights of the houses, which the seafarers were seeing while sailing in the bay at night.

The parish church of Agios. Dimitrios was built in 1865. In 1905 at the initiative of immigrants from the U.S.A., $ 456 were gathered for the renovation of the temple. Eventually, in 1924 an impressive external narthex with a single ashlar stone masonry was added. Two carved columns with ornately column capitals, rather belong to an oldest temple. The school building was erected in 1910 in a prominent position. In the village there is a windmill that has been reconstructed and dominates in a nearby hill at the edge of the village.

Certain people who excelled in public life came from Lychna. The great benefactor of Limnos Nikolaos Dallas (1855-1933), who became rich in Egypt and, up to 1910 when he got bankrupt, he was the driving force and the president of the Brotherhood of the Lemnians in Alexandria. He donated 1.5 acres at Lychna’s school to become a school garden. The teacher Charalambos Karapanagiotis (1912-2006), who served in schools in Thrace, Varos, Moudros and Athens. During the occupancy, he was an associate of the Harbour Master John Arvanitakis. The priest and teacher Panagiotis Kontaridis (1873 -;) who was a graduate of the great school of Smyrna. He served in Tsimandria (1903-04) and Plaka (1905-1910).

Romanou

Although there is no evidence, logically the name came from an old landowner called "Romanos", as in many other cases in all the island. The village became a community in 1918 under the name Romanos. In 1940 it was renamed in Romanon but called Romanou. According to oral testimonies, the inhabitants settled in the current area about 200 years ago in order to protect themselves from pirates. Formerly they lived near the Bay of Moudros, in the area of the hill Boucranos.

During the 19th century the village grew rapidly and in 1830 the inhabitants erected the magnificent Holy temple of the Nativity of Christ, with the donation of a wealthy compatriot. The church has marvelous carved stone masonry and wooden temple with original icons (Adam and Eve, Cataclysm, Jericho Trumpets, Babel Tower, Cain and Abel) by Efstratios Chaimade who was an icon painter from Imvros and which Conze admired in 1858. The impressive exonarthex with the neo-Gothic rhythm windows, the pear-shaped decorative motifs and the carved column capitals, erected at the expense of the villagers on the first of July 1881. In 1849 the source of the holy water at the entrance of the village was renovated.

Interesting sights are also the church of Saints Constantinou and Helen’s with the sculped temple, the carved wine earthenware jars, the school that was built in 1936, the carved stone war memorial and the church of Agios Fotidas in Komi (Komi is a desert at the present time rural settlement of Llmnos which is located northeast of Romanos. In Komi there was a temple of Hercules).

Repanidi

The village is first mentioned by its present name in 1285 in monastery documents. The old reports as Repanidion or Rapanidi, are repeatedly mentioned from the 13th to the 16th century and we find them again in Community documents of the 19th century in the forms: Repanidion, Rapanidi, Ropanidi.

Consequently, the name of the village derived rather from the ragweed Repanidi, so it is a name of a plant. The first inhabitants of Repanidi came from Hephaestus, which around the 12th century was begun being abandoned by its inhabitants.

The neomartyr Athanasios descended from Repanidi. He was arrested by the Turks in 1846 and led to Constantinople by boat. However, the martyr never reached there, because during the journey and while they were sailing to the Hellespont, the guards threw him chained into the sea and drowned him, knowing that they should probably be found innocents in superior court, by not have committed any crime.

The importance of the region of Repanidi is mentioned since ancient times, for as much as in the nearby site of Agiochoma, the famous "Lemnia Terra” was mined.

Kondopouli

The village owes its name to the Byzantine landowner Kontopoulos. The first inhabitants came from Hephaestia, Kotsinas and Agios Hypatios. During the occupation, Kondopouli suffered by German troops, which caused many disasters in schools and other public buildings, plundered the property of rich and poors, taking of hostages. The military unit of Kontopouli was among the last who abandoned Limnos in 1944. In the Civil War the poet Yannis Ritsos lived in Kontopouli as an exile, a fact which is mentioned in his poems.

In 1948 he composed here the "Smoked Pot" and two "Calendars of Exile." Attractions in the region of great importance are the church of Agios. Demetrios, the church of Agia. Anastasia and the subterranean “holy water”, The stone curving fountain, the archaeological site of Hephaestia the archaeological site of Kabeiria and Aliki (wetland).

Kalliopi

The establishment of the village dates back, about 1200, when the period of the decline of Hephaestia had started. At that time, the founder of the village, rich Calliope or Kalli, who had got land in the area, moved from Hephaestia. In one version Calliope was persecuted by Hephaestia because of her improper conduct. A marble sarcophagus with a carved cross bearing the words "Here lies the servant of God Kalli' is preserved in the village cemetery.

The Keros bay is the beach of the village. The bay extends about three kilometers and has been an important port until the Late Middle Ages. It was named because of its shape, which resembles a horn.

The hero of 1821 George Capetanakis descended from Kalliopi. The patron saint of the village is Agios Georgios, in honor of which a church of basilica type without a dome was built in 1869.

Every year on the feast of Agios Georgios traditional races are taking place. The route that the riders cover is about three kilometers long and extends from the church of Agios. Georgios near the beach of Keros until the entrance to the village. After the race, the award ceremony of the winner and a fundraising ball with traditional dancing and plenty of food and wine is taking place. This custom is conducted at least since the mid 19th century.

Near the village there is Chortarolimni, one of the most important wetlands in the prefecture of Lesvos. Is included in the NATURA network and being protected from environmental conditions. Since 2001 there is Environmental Information Center in the village, which is housed in the elementary school, in order to protect and promote the natural wealth of the region. There, the visitor can be informed and sensitized to environmental issues.

In the village one may visit the early Christian grave in the cemetery of Agia. Anna.

Panagia

According to the local tradition the place name Panagia predates the village and came from an old monastery. By the mid-19th century on the northeast Limnos between the village Kontopouli and the cape Plaka there wasn’t any villages. There were only a few isolated huts that belonged to the Turkish agads of Anypati . Panagia was founded around 1865 by residents of Agios Ypatios and Kontopouli who had estates in the area. As the first settlers are considered , Katogoudis Comninos , Ioannis Lagos , Emmanuel Paximadas , Dimitrios Tsagdis and Ioannis Kechagias. The site “Panagia” was chosen, where it was the old Byzantine monastery at the foot of the hill " Alepotrypes ' , probably because it was approximately the same distance from the western and eastern coasts, thus providing greater security.

Plaka

Plaka was originally a place of seasonal residence for the residents of Agios. Ypatios and Paleopolis (Hephaistia), who owned land in the area and were going to cultivate. After 1823, some people started to live there permanently and around 1860 there were gathered enough to create a settlement. The original name of the village was Symferoupolis. This name was given by the Metropolite of Limnos Joachim III, to whom the residents addressed when they decided to set up a community, because interest reasons forced them to leave Agios Hypatios. The name Plaka was given by the homonymous cape with the dun slabs. Since the cape is approximately in the middle of the straight line between Troy and Athos, some felt that this is the "Hermeon lepas" of the ancients, through which the news of Fall of Troy were broadcasted by fire. Although the tip has height of only 70 meters, cape protrudes deep into the sea and has visual contact with both areas. This is why, a beacon of 30 meters high and range of 20 miles was erected here in 1912.

Between the villages of Panagia and the Plaka there is the deserted medieval settlement Axia or Naxa. According to Arg. Moschidis is the ancient region Akesa, which named by Philoctetes, from the verb "akeomai: “healed" because he was healed from a snake bite in this area. It is not a coincidence that in this position a monastery dedicated to the doctors and therapists Agioi Anargiri founded, in an attempt of the Christian religion to usurp the ancient beliefs. Further north, in the site Rousounia, there are thermal springs with water rich in radium, suitable for spa and mud baths. Nearby there was a chapel of Agios Charalambos. Many patients from all over the island used to arrive in the area by their donkeys in order to get suffused by the hot muddy water. A few decades ago, expatriates from the U.S.A. erected a new chapel of Agios Charalambos and cells for the accommodation of the pilgrims.

Since 1355, there are reports of the existence of the fortified settlement Kastrin in the region of Plaka. Probably is identified with the " Kastrioton Castle ", in which Kritovoulos from Imbros disembarked in 1459 and turned away the Venetians from the island. The inhabitants in the years of Sultan Bayazid II (1481-1512) settled in Paleocastro (Myrina). The remains today are called Paliokastro or Vriokastro.

In the southern part of the peninsula of Vriokastro, 800 meters away from the shore and eastern of the reef of Vina, remains of ancient sunken city have been identified. Specifically, group of buildings preserved to a height of two meters with monolithic lintels and paved streets. The whole picture reminds the prehistoric city of Limnos, Poliochni. Another ancient sunken city has been found off the east coast in the sea area “Mythones”. The existence of the remains was first mentioned by Choiseul-Guffier in 1785 who equated them with the Homeric island Chrisi, which was precipitated in 197 BC.