Description
We start this excursion by visiting the Bournia gulf. One can see a fishermen’s village and the church of Zoodochos Pigi.
Those are the ruins of an important Byzantine city called Kotsinas. Kotsinas was at first a small commercial port that belonged to Hephaistia. As time passed by, Kotsinas turned into an important commercial centre. The new settlement became big and soon was fortified as a castle, most probably by Venetians to be protected from the pirates.
In 1478 the Turks tried to capture and destroy the “Kastro” of Kotsinas and finally succeeded. At the last moment, a local young woman named Maroula saw her dead father, had grabbed his sword and by this way she revived the courage of her compatriots who were fighting violently against the enemy ever since. At the end, the enemy left the island. Maroula became a legend of the island and the symbol of freedom.
The statue of Maroula is found in Kotsinas in the place where the Kastro used to be. The statue shows Maroula holding a sword in raised hand. Next to the statue, there is a church with a catacomb. Fifty seven stoned steps lead down to a spring, that used to supply water to the Kastro in the ancient times. Nowadays, it is believed that this water is holy.
Our next stop is the temple of Kabeiroi. The temple of Kabeiroi was found in the Chloe Cape, close to Hephaistia, by the Italian Archeological School of Athens in 1937-39. The excavations have been continued since 1982. In Lemnos and Samothrace, we find the most convincing proofs of Kavirian religion. Ceremonies in favour of Kabeiroi called Kavirian mysteries were taking place in Lemnos.
We continue our trip to the village Kontopouli, which remains one of the largest villages on the island. The traditional pottery shop attracts many visitors. After this visit, we will go on to the prehistoric city of Poliochni. This city has been recently uncovered and said to have achieved its acme between 2700-2000 BC and continued to remain inhabited until 1600 BC. Nowadays, we find there many large houses, walls and public buildings.
Finally, we will stop over in the village of Moudros, a very beautiful and picturesque village. It is located on the east side of Moudros Bay on a small hill. Moudros Bay is one of the biggest, natural bays in Greece. It is also of great ecological importance. The church of “Taxiarches”, which was built around 1370. It is worth visiting this church, the interior is captivating, especially the wooden templo that separates the church into two distinguishing parts.
We will stay in Moudros for lunch and afterwards we will visit the beautiful beach Fanaraki.
