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The
architectural character of Mithymna is living
testimony to a tempestuous and much-troubled
historical continuity.The town, rooted on the
rock which is dominated by the medieval Castle
and spreading down to the sea, still retains its
own individual character as that was shaped in
the last two centuries of Turkish rule,
particularly in the nineteenth century. It is a
traditional type of settlement which climbs
upwards and is flanked by steep cliffs. The
medieval Castle is its point of reference, and
it is around this that its fabric is deployed.
The castle itself is not large; it has a
perimeter of 310 metres. The development of the
town in a confined space, originally for reasons
of defence and also because of the sharply
sloping rock, enforced an exceptional
utilisation of the space. Thus, Molyvos has
preserved a com-plex of paved and cobbled mule
paths (kalderimia}, along which the older
buildings, often contiguous, make up a dense and
cohesive whole. The a-mount of open space in the
historic nucleus of the town is limited. The
Market lines two streets which converge in a
small square. This is the vital space of the
town's social and economic life. The streets of
the market are shaded with salkimia (foliage) at
the dividing line between the ground-floor shops
and the living quarters on the first floor. Most
of the traditional buildings are two-storeyed,
with stone and wood as their building materials.
Usually the stone walls have remained
unplast-ered and are pointed with mortar. Often,
when the upper floor is of wood, the walls
project beyond the outline of the ground floor
and form sachnisia (oriels). Carved wooden beams
support the sachnisia, which serve to enlarge
the central space of the living quarters. In
Molyvos, many mansions dating from the late
eighteenth century have survived; examples are
the Yannakos mansion and the building hous-ing
the School of Fine Arts (formerly the Krallis
mansion), with elaborate wail-paintings. Many of
the town's buildings have a neo-Classical
morpho-logy. The harmonisation of differing
architectural types into a single organis-ed
whole makes Molyvos a place of rare beauty. On
the edge of the town, the picturesque harbour
completes the unique picture of Mithymna. The
parish churches are also buildings
characteristic of the place. The Basilica of the
Archangel (Taxiarches), which was built in 1795,
is one of the most important architectural
monuments of Molyvos. St Panteleimon — built in
1844— has a number of neo-classical features.
Also a noteworthy example of church architecture
is St Cyriace. In Molyvos, a large number of
public fountains, from the time of Otto-man rule
with relief inscriptions and decorations, have
been preserved. The Old Baths building is
another architectural monument of the last
ce-ntury. The Mithymna Municipal Gallery, with
an impressive collection of works of art, was
set up in 1961. The Archaeological Collection is
housed in the Town Hall, while the Municipal
Library enriches the town's cultural life.
Molyvos by providing many limitless sources of
inspiration has always been a point of
attraction for many artists, local and foreign.
Many cultural manifestations are organized every
year in Mithymna, such as conventions, lectures,
exhibitions of paintings and popular art,
theatrical and folkloric performances.
Source: Mithymna (Molyvos, Lesvos), edited by
the Municipality of Molyvos, @2001
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