About the village
The mountainous Tsagarada is one of the oldest village of Pelion, and perhaps the most well known both in Greece and abroad. Seeing it from a distance it looks like its drowning in the lush and vast forests. To the east, you can admire the panoramic view of the Aegean Sea, with its unparalleled beauty and to the west, the verdant slopes of Pelion. The village perfectly combines the traditional Pelion character with tourism development, as there are many hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, cafes and tourist shops to cater visitors. The residential formation is of particular interest since it consists of four districts, each of which takes its name from the church that is found at their respective square. Agia Paraskevi, (the center of the village), Agioi Taxiarches (the oldest district), Agios Stefanos and Agia Kiriaki.
Regarding the name origin, there are many versions, which would be useless to quote here. The two most dominant is that the villages name means either “beautiful view” or “royal village”. Its history begins in the 16th century when people from the Karavostasia beach came here to escape from pirates and founded the village. Its final shape was formed during the 19th century after great economic growth due to prosperous trade and shipping.
The village has many places to visit, so try to manage your time appropriately. You can begin your excursion in the square of Agia Paraskevi district, which was and continues to be the heart of the villages’ social life. There you will discover the thousand-year-old plane tree that will impress you with its size (The trunk diameter is 14m) and its imposing presence. The plane offers a unique cool breeze during summer time and a lot of opportunities for photos. In the square you will also see Agia Paraskevi church which was built in 1909 at the expense of Nicholas Stagos and features many impressive murals and a ornately carved iconostasis. Finally at the bottom of the square is the charming homonym stone fountain that will refreshes visitors.
Continuing your walk in the squares, pass from Agion Taxiarchon (Holy Archangels) square, to discover another huge plane tree and a beautiful marble fountain. In this paved square lies the church of Agios Taxiarchis, build in 1786 and is the oldest church in the village.
If you are seeking for something more tranquil, then you should walk towards Agia Kiriaki Square, located in the low heights of the mountain and enjoy the lovely church of Agia Kyriaki, build in 1882 that impresses audiences with its magnificent bell tower. Finally worth visiting is also Agios Stefanos Square, which is the first square one encounters, coming from Zagora and with which you will end your walk.
During your walks you will see lot's of old stone bridges like the one that connects the banks of Mylopotamos stream, built in 1787. Imposing, however, is the presence of some historical buildings such as the Nanopouleio school which was build in 1863 and in 1985 was marked as a work of art, donated from N.Nanopoulos. Also the Kartaleio Elementary school, in ruins today, that was donated by Kartali Family and Achilopouleios Commercial school, a donation of Achillopoulos brothers in which the Digital and Miniature museum of Mouresi Municipality is housed. These three great benefactors Ioannis Kartalis, Sofoklis Achillopoulos and Nikolaos Nanonopoulos have been honored with a monument, on the main road that runs through the village.
Finally, don’t miss visiting the small church of Panagia Megalomata located within a rock near Fakistra beach and during the Ottoman occupation served as a Kryfo scholio (secret school).
One reason that travellers love Tsagarada is that it combines mountain and sea. You’ll get the chance to experience different things at any time of the year. If you visit Tsagarada during winter you can go skiing to the Agrioleukes Ski Center that is only half an hour away. It will be worth your time to plan an excursion to the amazingly beautiful forests, discover secret passages and locations and admire the traditional architecture of the mansions during walking on the great network of kalderimi (cobbled paths). If you however visit the village during summer you can enjoy swimming at the charmed beaches such as the cosmopolitan Mylopotamos with its turquoise waters and giant rocks, Fakistra and Labinou. As the summer heats up you can cool off, under the shade from the villages’ plane trees and participate on one of the cultural events, fairs and festivals that take place during that period.
