| About Leros
Leros Greek island Located
Between Patmos and Kalymnos.Leros is an Island
of small fertile valleys sandwiched between
rolling green hills ,deep coves and pretty
beaches .
Leros topography has
given rise to many villages. The Most important
is the capital Agia Marina - united tow other
villages.Platanos and Pandelion the back side
of the hill, a collection of little houses
neoclassical buildings and marow allways.
It starts at the seaside
and gradually climbs up the sides of the hill,
whose sumbre remains of a Byzantine castle.
Of special significance during Byzantine times,
it's shape is that given by the Knights of
John,who arrived in Leros in the 14th century.
Still standing today are the circuit wall
and the church of our lady withn it
Laki 3 km south of Agia Marina is the islands
Port,It's build at the back of a deep ,practically
enclosed bay,whose mouth is only 500m wide.
This is one of the largest and the best natural
harbours (marina) in the Mediterranean.
Alinda, Xirokambos and Partheri are charming
seaside Villages.while you'lfind wonderful
swimming at the beaches of Agia Marina, Pendeli,
Vromolitho, Alinda, Laki, Merikia, and XiroKampos.
So a mountainous, green
island with high cliffs and many small bays
and villages, Leros is a popular holidayresort
which still has kept most of its genuine atmosphere.
One of the reasons is that it is not too dependent
on tourism.
Many of the buildings on the island are built
in Italian style, but you'll also find those
typically Greek little white houses with blue
doors and windows.
The people on the island
live off agriculture, some work in the island's
mentalinstitution, and in summer tourism is
another source of income. Because Leros has
a very large natural port, many sailingboats
and luxury yachts arrive here in summer, giving
the island an international flare.
According to mythology,
Leros was first populated by the goddess Artemis.
She had sent the Calydonian Boar to Aetolia,
where the king's son Meleagros managed to
kill it. Having angered the goddess, he was
killed, and his sisters were struck with grief.
Artemis then turned them into hens and put
them on Leros which was so fertile they would
always have food.
According to another myth. The first king
of Leros was Thessalos, son of Heracles.
Archaeologists believe
that the first inhabitants of the island were
peoples from Asia Minor and Phoenicia. It
took part in the Trojan War, and also fought
the Persians by the Athenian side in the 5th
century BC. It was then ruled by Macedonians
and Romans.
As in the case of most Greek islands, Leros
was tormented by constant pirate attacks during
the Middle Ages, and for 300 years it belonged
to the monastery of Patmos. The Knights of
St. John from Rhodes took the island in 1319,
and Leros was then invaded by the Turks in
1522. In the 16th century it belonged to the
Venetians for a short time.
The men of Leros fought
hard during the war of Independence that broke
out in 1821. For a few years it was free,
but the Protocol of London then turned it
back to the Turks in 1830. The Italians ruled
the island from 1912 and Leros was not given
back to Greece until 1948. It was during this
Italian occupation when many of today's buildings
were constructed on the island, giving it
the Italian style many are surprised to find
here.
It was during World War
II when a hospital for lepers was built on
Leros, and the Greek junta kept many dissidents
here until 1974. The hospital was then turned
into a mental institution and orphanage.
One of the most striking features of Leros
is the Kastro of the Virgin Mary (Panagia
Kastrou) that towers above the island's capital
Platanos. It dates back to the 11th century,
and was a stronghold for the Knights of St.
John.
Here, there is also a museum with findings
from various time periods, as well as an old
church.
In Platanos stands the old cathedral Agia
Paraskevi. The town itself is nice for strolling
around in, and most of the houses were built
in the 1800's.
In Alinda you can visit
the church of Agios Isidoros that was built
on top of an ancient temple. There is also
a castle here which is open to the public,
and holds some interesting finds from the
island, including parts of the warship Queen
Olga that was sunk here by the Germans in
1943. The island's first printer can also
be seen here.
Just outside Parthene there are the remains
of a temple to Artemis.
In Xerokambos you can
visit the church of Panagia Kavouradina ("The
Virgin Mary of Crabs"). Legend has it
that a fisher man found it here, and was immediately
cured from a crab bite on his hand. In a dream
he was told by a woman dressed in black to
return the icon to where it was found, and
so the church was built.
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