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| η αφίσα για το πανηγύρι με τη φωτογραφία μου |
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| το εξώφυλλο του περιοδικού Νήσος Κως με τη φωτογραφία μου από τον Άη Γιάννη τον Περιγιαλίτη |
Φωτογραφίες: Sophia Karagianni
SAINT JOHN “PERIGIALITIS”, MASTICHARI
Saint John “Perigialitis” is located in Mastichari, though it belongs to the parish of the Holy Apostles in Antimachia. The name comes from the Greek word “perigiali” (seashore), but you may also find it written as “Perigyialitis” or, according to Karpathiou, “Perigiallitis.”
It is considered one of the most beautiful little chapels on the entire island of Kos, standing out with its Aegean colors and its breathtaking sea view.
According to tradition in Antimachia, the chapel—originally very small—was built by an ancestor of the Favatssis family. This ancestor supposedly discovered, at the very spot where the chapel stands today, a drowned woman with a “kemeri” (a leather belt used in earlier times to hide gold coins) around her waist. With that money, he built the chapel.
There is also the story of a fearsome pirate named Kattirzigiannis, who frequently raided Kos. He would often bring his loot from other places to Mastichari—then completely deserted—and hide it there along with a great amount of gold, right where the chapel of Saint John “Perigialitis” now stands.
Later, another member of the Favatssis family—great-grandfather of the family’s current descendants—found part of the pirate’s treasure near the chapel and used it to restore the little church. From then on, he was nicknamed “Sarafis” (moneychanger). In his written account, the priest Ioannis Amallos mentions that the chapel was built in 1845 by a certain Seraphim Sarafis, on the ruins of an older temple.
Because of the persistent rumors about hidden treasure, in the late 1960s a treasure hunter from Asfendiou, together with some men from Kalymnos, tried to excavate the chapel in search of it—but in vain.
Every year, the Cultural Association of Antimachia “I Proodos,” together with the Ecclesiastical Committee of the Parish of the Holy Apostles, invites us to celebrate the feast of Saint John “Perigialitis” in Mastichari on August 28th, right after the evening vespers at the chapel. The celebration revives the traditional August feast, with homemade pittaridia (handmade pasta with meat in red sauce), fresh watermelon from the plain, and delicious handmade loukoumades (honey doughnuts).
In recent years, the feast of Saint John has been included in the summer program of the Hippocratia Festival, organized by the Municipality of Kos (DOPAVS).
📸 The poster of the feast with my photo.
On August 29th, we also honor the feast of Saint John “Perigialitis” (the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist). Here in Kos, people call him Saint John Nistikaris (“the Fasting One”), because the fast observed on this day is among the strictest and most distinctive. In older times, people would not even drink water until sunset. Nowadays, most observe it by drinking only water, and the meal is taken only after the sun goes down.
