Pamfila - Beautiful Village in Eastern Lesvos

1. General Information
2. Pamfila Attractions
3. Nearby Attractions

General Information

Pamfila is a traditional settlement seven kilometers from Mytilene. A former site of industrial development, Pamfila is located a breath away from a variety of both old and new industrial buildings that betray something of the prosperity of the area. There are three theories surrounding the origin of the village name. Pamfila owes its name to the hospitality of its early residents, the multitude of trees growing in the area or the poet Pamfili (1st century AD).

Pamfila Attractions

Pamfila includes a variety of public and private buildings that make it worth visiting. Upon arrival to the village, take notice of the Public Junior and Senior High School of Pamfila together with the Secondary School building across the road. The Secondary School of Pamfila was erected in 1928 and continues to impress visitors with its imposing Doric-styled entrance. Built in 1911, the Katsakoulion is a beautiful Neo-classical building adorned by two Ionic columns and a marble gate.

Pamfila includes a number of traditional cafes that are popular in the morning and early evening and spring to life on a special occasion such as a ‘panygiris’ (religious festival). A variety of mezedes and ouzo can be enjoyed here and the famous hospitality of ‘Pamfiliotes’ (Pamfila residents) tested.

There are numerous tall mansions standing proud in the streets of Pamfila and gracing the village with their Neo-classical elegance. The ‘pyrgi’ (‘towers’, the term is still in use to describe the three storey mansions built on the island between the 17th and the 19th century AD) would have reflected the financial and social status of their owners and provided them with both protection from intruders and a high observation point from which to survey their land.

Built by wealthy landowners and merchants, they were in use mainly in the summer months or during the olive harvest, when their owners would temporarily move from Mytilene back to the country. Each tower would have been surrounded by an enclosed garden and included a well and a variety of secondary buildings. While few of the 36 pyrgi in existence in Pamfila in the early 20th century AD can still be seen in the village, a number of these beautiful mansions continue to adorn the village streets.

Pamfila is home to a variety of religious sites. Of these, the church of Agia Barbara (Saint Barbara) is a large basilica with a concealed dome comparable to that of Agia Sophia in Constantinople. A wonderful structure built between the years of 1859 and 1881 on the site of a pre-existing, much smaller temple, the church includes an icon of Saint Barbara believed to be over 300 years old.

The chapels of Agios Ioannis (Saint John) and Panagia I Evangelistria are located by the Pamfila football field.

Nearby Attractions

Pamfila’s beach and small, picturesque harbor (Skala Pamfilon) lie to the east of the village. Dotted with palm trees, the shoreline of Pamfila is certain to catch your eye while, 300 meters away from the village, the location of Khourmadies and - a little further afield - the beaches of Vigla and Niselia attract a large number of visitors to the region.