Taxiarchis

Taxiarchis is a historical church dedicated to the Archangels Michael and Gabrielle, located in the charming village of Mesta. It is usually called "The Big Taxiarchis" by the villagers so it’s distinguished from the other church of Taxiarchis ("The Old Taxiarchis"), which is more ancient and smaller in size. This church is the biggest one in Chios and one of the biggest in the entire country of Greece.

It was first destroyed during the Turkish Occupation, and later during the big earthquake in Chios, so it has been rebuilt and renovated several times. It is a monumental work and it was admired even by those who contributed to its construction. That is why it inspired the villagers with many stories. Some of these stories derive from reality and others do not. However, there is a really tragic story about a worker who was buried by stones during the reconstruction of the church and it is one of the stories that have been considered true. This incident caused a lot of worries and problems to the villagers because they couldn't continue their work since, according to common tradition; a church cannot be built on ground where human blood has been shed. Villagers of all ages, according to testimonies, were digging for days and nights in order to take the buried worker out. In the end, fortunately, they found him alive, and they could continue with the construction of the church.

The church has a two-way double staircase outside, on the top of which the bell-tower rises. The big bell-tower is very recent. Both the staircase and the bell-tower are made of stone from Thymiana, where the villagers produce a special kind of stone. The churchyard is made of black and white pebbles, which is something very typical for the architecture in Chios.

If you are planning on visiting Mesta, this church is definitely worth a visit!