Municipality of Agiassos
The village Agiassos is located at the NE slopes of mountain Olympos, at a height of 475 meters and 25 kilometers from Mitilini. Agiassos, with the stone-paved streets, is renowned for its special natural landscape and its traditional architecture. It is also a preserved settlement and religious centre of the island. One of the most visited churches of the island is Kimisi of Theotokos (Assumtion of the Virgin), broadly known as Panagia of Agiassos. The most important exhibits are the icon of the Virgin and the Infant, work of the Luke the Evangelist and the cross that according to the tradition, Agathon brought with him from Jerusalem. At the court yard of the church stands a Folklore Museum with precious works of folklore arts and a representation of a typical traditional room of Agiassos. A private folklore collection with handmade products is at the entrance of the village. Very famous is the villages cultural institution of the Reading Society H Anaptixi, established in 1854. Today, the Reading Society has a library, a theatre hall and a Folklore Museum, where works by Lesbian painters are exhibited. In Agiassos there are many handicraft units working with pottery and woodcarving, continuing the long tradition of the village. Agiassos also has marvellous pastries such as halva. Of great reputation is the Carnival of Agiassos due to its caustic satire in rhyme, expressed by the local dialect.
On the way to Agiassos, the visitor will meet Karini, a beautiful natural landscape with old trees and small coffee-shops. From the peak of Olympos the visitor can enjoy the entire half of the island