Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: Pelion

The Church of Taxiarches is located in the central aquare of Mlilies, one of the quaint Pelion villages. From an architectural point of view the church has very simple exterior, which does not remind of any temple at all, since during the Turkish occupation the construction of majestic orthodox Christian buildings was avoided, so as not to provoke the Turks. It is unknown when exactly this church was built, but a sign at the entrance tells that it was renovated in 1741. The interior of the Church of Taxiarches is stunningly beautiful and impresses visitors with the wall paintings that depict scenes from the Bible and Hell. Of exceptional, but also unique interest is the icon painting, which was probably done by an unknown monk, while the gilded iconostasis was made by Epirote craftsmen. The Church of Taxiarches is an important historical monument for Pelion as in May 1821, the scholar Anthimos Gazis raised the Greek flag and proclaimed the revolution in Thessaly. .

The plane tree in Tsagarada is one of the oldest trees in Europe. It is located in the square of Tsagarada in front of the Agia Paraskevi (PiP4). According to foresters, the tree is around 1000 years old. The circumference of the trunk measures over 15 meters. The crown of the plane tree is so large that it is difficult to measure it. Its perimeter may even be 40 meters. The branches are as thick as a tree trunk. The general condition of the tree is very good. However, the trunk has a cavity which is closed with a metal sheet. One of the branches is supported by a marble pillar. What might have not been taken into account for the age of the tree is that its roots start at about four meters under the paving of the square. Therefore, a large part of the trunk is “buried” for many years now at a depth of at least four meters.