Churches and chapels of Samothraki, and the feasts that fill them
From the harbour church of Kamariotissa to a chapel on a cliff and a Byzantine monastery in the forest: the island's churches, their legends and the days they come alive.
Samothraki has only a few large churches, but small chapels stand all over the island, on cliffs, in coves and at crossroads. Each has its saint's day, when the doors open, a service is held and, often, the village celebrates with a panigyri: food, music and dancing into the night. Here are the ones worth knowing, and when to go.
In the villages
Church of the Assumption, Chora
The island's main church, finished in 1925 with its bell tower above the roofs of Chora. It keeps the icon of Panagia Krimniotissa and the relics of the Five New Martyrs, five young islanders executed in 1835. See the Church of the Assumption.
Panagia Kamariotissa, Kamariotissa
The harbour church that gave the port its name, built where, legend says, fishermen brought ashore an icon found floating in the bay. See Panagia Kamariotissa.
Out on the island
- Panagia Krimniotissa, the chapel on a rock high above Pachia Ammos, with views over the south coast.
- Agia Paraskevi, a blue-and-white chapel in its own cove past the Fonias river.
- Panagouda, a small white chapel at Therma harbour, built in 1958 by a sea captain who survived a storm.
- Agios Andreas, an 1871 chapel by the lagoon at the island's western tip, on the site of an ancient port.
- The Monastery of Agios Athanasios near Alonia, the only working monastery on the island.
- The Monastery of Christ, a 14th-century ruin in the forest above Therma, built partly with marble from the ancient Sanctuary.
- The Altar of Saint Paul near Palaiopoli, marking the apostle's night on the island.
Feast days through the year
- Maundy Thursday: the feast of Panagia Kamariotissa, with grilled sardines handed out after the service.
- Thomas Sunday, the first Sunday after Easter: the Five New Martyrs, with all the island's priests and a procession of the relics in Chora.
- 26 July: Agia Paraskevi, with a panigyri and gorgovrasto, rice cooked with goat.
- 28 July, evening: the vigil at the Altar of Saint Paul, led by the Bishop of Alexandroupoli.
- 15 August: the Dormition of the Virgin, the island's biggest night, with the church of Chora open late and a panigyri in the square behind it.
Dates of village panigyria move from year to year; check our summer cultural calendar and ask locally. Dress modestly to go inside, and if you join a panigyri, expect to be offered food.
