From last Wednesday, thousands of believers from all over Greece, even from abroad, started coming by all means to Lesbos for the island’s great “ancient” spring festival, the festival of Taxiarchis in Mandamados. Many of them walk carrying a torch “on their boy”, almost 40 kilometers, from the city of Mytilene to the great pilgrimage with the unique in Orthodoxy embossed ebony icon of the Archangel, made of unknown material. However, according to tradition, it was created from soil and the blood of monks killed by pirates. As the protopriest and head of the pilgrimage Fr. Stratis Dissos tells APE – MPE, the icon of Taxiarchis was created by a young monk who hid on the roof when the monastery was attacked by pirates. “When,” says Father Stratis, conveying the local legend, the Saracens perceived him, they chased him all the way to the sea. There, however, they found themselves in front of a raging sea that threatened to swallow them. Frightened, they left him and fled. The young monk attributed his salvation to the Taxiarch, collected the soil soaked with the blood of the killed monks and created the icon.”

However, the form of the icon shows that it is the product of ardent faith, of a simple man. The dark face, hence the nickname “arapis” given to it by the locals, projects full of power from the silver “shirt”, with which its wings are covered. In fact, according to tradition, many pilgrims have different feelings when looking at the image. Some say that the Taxiarchis smiles at them, others see him as fierce, others calm. “They believe, says Father Stratis, that the Archangel wants to send them various messages.”

The attendance peaked tonight, Saturday, with the multi-priestly vespers attended by the host, Metropolitan of Mythymna Mr. Chrysostomos, the Metropolitans of Mytilene Mr. Iakovos, Mr. Chrysostomos of Eleftheroupolis Kavala, who is also of Lesbian descent and Serres and Nigris Mr. Theologos. Tomorrow, after the completion of the Divine Liturgy and the procession of the image of the Archangel around the Temple, the traditional food kishkek, meat with wheat and other grains, will be blessed, which will be distributed to the faithful.

As it became known, this year, like last year, the custom of killing a bull in the churchyard, which has been done for centuries, will not take place. And this year the bull will be slaughtered in the slaughterhouse where it will be cut up and then taken to the church yard where it will be cooked in huge cauldrons. The small animals, lambs and goats that the faithful offer to the Saint as every year, will be auctioned and sold to breeders.

Taxiarchis is the patron saint of all of Lesvos. Especially in the past he was respected by the Turks something that remains alive, to this day since among the visitors they are also Turks from the opposite coasts!

The current church, which was built on the site of an older one, was inaugurated restored from its foundations in 1879 and celebrates the anniversary of its inauguration every year on Palm Sunday. According to tradition the Taxiarchis wore iron shoes and running everywhere from there and many pilgrims bring and place iron shoes at the base of his image.

The high priest’s sack is kept in the temple, a national and religious relic of the ethnomartyr Ecumenical Patriarch Gregory V. This sack was bought at an auction by Metropolitan Porphyrios Fotiadis, originally from Mandamado, who, during the hanging of the Patriarch in 1821, was Protosygelos of the Patriarchates. After his death his relatives donated him to the Pilgrimage. There are still, old gold-embroidered clavicle of 1656, old gospels and church books. Among the icons of the church, there are several from the 16th century. The spring from which the holy water of the temple flows is considered one of the most ancient in Lesbos.