Description

Archangel Michael (Taxiarches) is the patron saint and the guardian angel of Lesvos. The miraculous icon of the Archangel is now kept within the interior of the church, in the Monastery of the Taxiarches.

The Byzantine Monastery of the Taxiarches (Archangel Michael) is situated in the district of Mantamados, in the northeast part of Lesvos, 36 km from Mytilene. The history of this monastery and the miraculous icon of the Archangel Michael are closely connected to the history of the island of Lesvos.

It is a famous monastery, made of stone. The monastery was most probably abandoned in 1462, the year of the island’s occupation by the Ottoman Turks. In the past, the monastery functioned as a men’s convent and is first mentioned in a 1661 ecclesiastical document. The small church within the monastery originally dates from the 17th century but was replaced by larger church in the 18th century. The present church (cathedral) was constructed in 1879 and follows a three-aisled basilica architectural type. The monastery is structured parametrically around this church.