Papados is the central village of Gera and bears its name from the tradition that before its establishment there was a temple with cells where the priests who served the religious needs of the local residents lived. From the residence of the “priests” there came the name Papados, which was built with the temple as its center. It was erected in 1838 replacing an older and smaller church, perhaps the one in which the priests lived in the cells.
It is a three-aisled basilica, the work of the well-known architect of the island “Karekos Stratigis of Anemotisios”, as the inscription testifies, and is one of the most beautiful basilicas built on Lesvos at the beginning of the 19th century.
The wood-carved iconostasis has a remarkable relief decoration. The fact that there are additions and additions to the side sections indicates that it comes from a smaller one and there was a need to adapt it to the current temple. It is adorned with beautiful images, wood-carved breastplates, pessos, colonnades with capitals, angels, prophets and evangelists. Furthermore, the pulpit and the despotic throne are of the same style.
In the main church there is one of the few frescoes that have been preserved from the period of the Ottoman occupation. It is a painting of the Archangel Michael, which probably comes from the earlier church and was saved together with the wall where it is located. It is surrounded by a wooden shrine, while it was formerly covered with a silver shirt, which was removed. It is an undated image of monumental dimensions, as its date of history has not been identified, and it bears paintings, which reduce its aesthetic value.
