Sykaminea, Sykamia or Skamnia is a semi-mountainous village at the northeastern end of Lesvos, 49 km northwest of Mytilini. The settlement is perched at an altitude of 300 meters on the northeastern slopes of Mount Lepetymnos and overlooks the coast of Asia Minor.
The village owes its name to the many mulberry trees in the area and is surrounded by lush vegetation with pines, plane trees and olives. The village has been characterized as a traditional settlement and stands out from afar with its stately, stone-built houses and the captivating view. Among the elegant cobbled streets of the village is the three-aisled basilica of Agia Fotini and the house of Myrivilis, which, however, cannot be visited. In the village, however, there is a folklore museum which is housed in the stone-built building of the primary school and houses a collection of artifacts from Stratis Myrivilis.
Descending towards the sea, visitors can observe the characteristic terraces made of dry stones that the inhabitants had built to rest on the way up, the so-called “kathistras”.
At Skala Sykamineas, the harbor of the mountainous settlement, on top of a rock next to the harbor stands the small church of Panagia tis Gorgona. This rock is a lava flow from the Lepetymnos volcano that reached the sea 18 million years ago. The ancients called the volcanic rocks “the rocks of Panagia” and together with the picturesque chapel it is perhaps the best known landmark of the wider area.
The harbor with its fishing boats, trawlers and trawlers is flanked by the settlement of Skala which was once inhabited mainly by the fishermen of the village which was developed after 1922 by the refugees from Asia Minor who arrived with the population exchange establishing the settlement near the beach road.
The following excerpt from Stratis Myrivilis’ novel “The Virgin Mary the Mermaid” vividly describes the atmosphere of his native land.
“The natural beauty of the place around here is to see it and be amazed by the rich heart of God. This aeolian coast does not say to lose its joy and grace, you want August burns the world, you want winter weighs it down. Because the lines from the mountains dance down to the shore, the land undulates serpentine like the sea and from everywhere the trees, the colorful rocks descend, and the waters rush to the shore”.
