Experience the Magic of Sigri Lesvos in 4k!!!

Sigri is built on the westernmost tip of the island of Lesvos, with an average altitude of 13m. and at a distance of 94 km. from Mytilini. The name of the settlement comes from the Venetian Siguro, which means a safe, secure port or from the malarial sycobras that once plagued the area. The presence of the islands of Nisiopi and Sedoussa create a natural harbor. Its castle, which was built in 1757 by the Admiral of the Ottoman fleet Suleiman Pasha, is characterized by the Arabic arch of red and white stones that crowns the central gate. In addition to the castle, which is preserved in good condition, there is the Mosque, which since 1923 functions as a church, as well as the ruins of the tank and the Hammam. In the wider area is the Holy Monastery of Ypsilos in honor of Saint John the Theologian.
The wonderful, sandy beach of Panagia Faneromeni is located 4 km. north of Sigrio.
This settlement is famous all over the world for its Petrified Forest of unique beauty and importance and the Natural History Museum located within the settlement.
Τhe short history of this place, like the history of Hellenism as a whole, goes through forty waves to reach where it is today.
The first mention of Sigri is made by the historian Strabo (65 BC - 23 AD), who, referring to the dimensions and boundaries of the Hellespont, writes: ", that is, the Hellespont reaches as far as the region of Sigri on Lesbos, and "the beginning of Lesbia is towards Sigri, the extreme end of it".
Systematic archeological excavations were not carried out in Sigri and therefore the information about the settlement of the area is limited. Scattered ruins in the wider area of ​​Sigri demonstrate that the area was inhabited since ancient times. In Paliokastro, Ai-Giorgis, Oikia, and elsewhere, the remnants of an earlier era invite us to discover their secrets and the people who made them. The main occupation must have been agriculture and animal husbandry.
It is characteristic that the ruins of an olive mill were found at the site of Adamania, of an undetermined date. Until the Renaissance years, there are no references to Sigri by other historians. Already, however, from maps of European cartographers of the time we find it named either as Porto Sigri, or as Castelo Seguro, or as Sigrium or other names in between. With the endowment of Lesvos to the Gatelouzos, Venetian nobles (1355 - 1462), the main settlement in the area is Agioi Theodoroi, north of today's Sigrio. In 1331, apart from the Monastery of Ypsilou, the monastery of Agia Theofanous, in the position of Agia, north of Antissa, Klimation, at the intersection of Sigriou - Antissa - Eresos, Keramonos, in the current location of Keramos, and Kreokopo were recorded. Another church that flourished until a few years ago is Panagia Vaskana, in Metohi.
Younger Times
During the Turkish occupation and when the Castle of Kalloni was abolished, the Castle of Sigri was founded in 1757, by the Admiral of the Ottoman fleet Suleiman Pasha, in order to protect the area from pirate raids and to ensure the smooth movement of goods. According to documented information, the construction of a mosque, a school, a bathhouse, a large aqueduct and fountains was also due to Suleiman Pasha's initiative.
In 1777 a company of riflemen and gunners under the command of a guard was stationed in the castle of Sigri, while in 1789 the castle had a guard of 100 men and 200 cannons. The security it provided led to the residential development of the area.
The first inhabitants were, according to historical sources, Turks formerly incarcerated in the fortress prison, who after their release chose to return there with their families.
Populations that were previously forced to take refuge inland, mainly Muslims, gradually settled in the area, as the practices of the janissaries (subjection to drudgery, oppression, taxation, etc.) acted as a deterrent to the settlement of Christian populations.
In 1885 it is reported that there are 60 houses and in 1908 two hundred, with a purely Muslim population. At least until the end of the 19th century. the fortress formed the center around which the settlement developed. Throughout the 19th century and until 1912 military units lived there. According to the testimonies of the vice-consuls of France (1858) and Russia (1895), the castle was well maintained and equipped to prevent any local riots, but it would not have been able to withstand a concerted attack from the sea.
Parts of the fortress walls collapsed due to the 1889 earthquake that hit western Lesvos. The mosque was rebuilt in the third quarter of the 19th century, probably after an earthquake. It is kept in very good condition and since 1928 it has been used as a church. The bath still exists, but is in a very poor state of preservation.
In the first years of the 20th century, the first Greek families, from Antissa and Ereso, came to live in Sigri.