Paros is known all around the globe for its lovely beaches and great night life. And while both are true for this Cycladic island, there’s more to it than that. It also has some mountainous villages with great food, traditional architecture, hospitable people, and with a special history.
The village Lefkes is probably the most beautiful among them. 11 km from Paroikia, Lefkes was the island’s first capital. The village was probably founded in the 15th century, and according to the most dominant theory, its first residents were from Crete. Together with the locals, they created the settlement on the hill. After all, at the time, the priority was to be protected from pirates and at the same time have access to the sea. There are still some remnants from that time in the village, like some of the oldest watermills in the Cyclades, and many churches.
One church that stands out is that of Agia Triada, a church widely considered the second most majestic church on the island, after the church of Panagia Ekatontapyliani. It was completed in 1835, with two marble bell towers, a great example of what the skilled craftsmen of the Cyclades could built. The altar is also marble, a great work by a marble sculptor from Tinos.
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