Another hike near town

This evening, I took a fairly easy 2-hour hike through the valley and into the hills south-west of town. I walked mostly on dirt trails through farm land and winding lanes, ending up on a paved road. I turned up a hill towards the Agios (Saint) Reginos Monastery where a tomb holds the saint's remains. Underneath the present structure are the remains of a Byzantine church dating to the 5th or 6th century.





Saint Reginos is the patron saint of Skopelos and was rumored to have been martyred here in 362 AD for preaching Christianity. He was tortured and beheaded by the Romans, but every year on February 25th, businesses are closed and the whole island celebrates his life. I was able to go inside the church and it had a crystal chandelier and an elaborate gold altar.



On the way back to town, I took a picture showing the harbor below, far in the distance. That's the Aegean Sea, just above the tree line. At the main traffic intersection in town, there's a little shrine honoring the saint.