So get ready to go up, and enjoy the awesome views to the horizon and the village, as this location overlooks its lower level.
Another fact that makes this church one of the most important ones is the festival held in Spring, every April 23nd. This date celebrates the Greek victory over the Ottomans in 1826, and also honours the patron saint of the island.
On those three days, Arachova gets dressed in Greek flags, and everything gets cleaned and set up. The people get in a festive mood, and the old men climb in a race to this church dressed in the same clothes their compatriots wore during the war against the Ottoman occupation. |
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The other main church is Osios Loukas monastery, which is actually outside Arachova, in the area of Distomo, but it is easy to reach. This Byzantine monastery is enclosed by a wall and has two adjoining churches at the centre.
Inside this enclosure, there are also some blocks of cells of two and three storeys, a bell-tower at the South-western corner, and the Refectory on the Southern side.
The monastery of Osios Loukas hosts many interesting art works. The homonymous church has some of the greatest frescoes of this period.
They were made by Michael Damaskinos, the famous Cretan icon painter from the 16th century. It has also the tomb of the saint -although his bones were taken to Rome- and the wall paintings of the crypt belong to the 11th century. | |
Important visitors like the French Spon and the Italian Kiriakos wrote about Arachova. A positive feature of Arachova when it comes to churches -and other type of buildings- is the good state of preservation it maintains.
This allows for appreciating these old constructions, whose appearance is not so far from the past glory. The mountainous relief of this town also assures great views. So, plan your schedule around this town and its surrounding areas, and enjoy the mentioned attractions live and direct. |
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