Just before Kalloni, at the level of the slatterns and after turning right, you will arrive at one of the most beautiful large villages of Lesvos, a settlement with marvellous private and public buildings, Agia Paraskevi, renowned village for its intellectual and cultural tradition, is the seat of the municipality comprising Agia Paraskevi and Napi.
Besides the many private mansions built in the second half of the 19th century, three public buildings are distinguished. The old community oil-press at the entrance of the village restored and transformed to a cultural centre, the second one is the complex of the premises of the educational establishment at the central square build in 1923, where the impressive propylon prevails. The third one is the church of Taxiarhis, three aisled basilica, second in size after the church of Madonna in Agiassos. This church is picturesque and peculiar and stands in the cave of a rock, on the hill over the settlement.The Bull festival.
Every year the last Sunday of May the bull festival takes place in the honour of Agios Haralampos, a folklore tradition known to all Greece dated at 1700; it lasts three days and holds strong folkloric and pagan features. It comprises the procession of the bull decorated with flowers in the streets of the village, the gathering of the believers and the horse-riders at the country church of Agios Haralampos at the location called Tavros, the slaughter of the animal, the preparation of a traditional food with meat and wheat (kiskets), the distribution of the food to the people attending the festival, the horse-races and the three days feast.
It lies just over 5km east of Agia Paraskevi on a dirt road, nearly a dozen columns of this three – aisled basilica remain standing, some with their capitals. A peaceful spot amidst a wilderness of pines and olives, which prompts speculation as to why it was build just here, as it was clearly never the katholikon of a monastery. Naturally the masonry is of a piece with the surrounding basalt boulders on the adjacent, pine – tufted ridge.
At the northwest of Agia Paraskevi, on the way to Stypsi at the embranchment of Tsiknias torrent, there is the bridge of Kremasti of 8, 5 meters height, the largest and best preserved medieval bridge in the East Aegean dated from the period of Gateluzzi. The construction of the bridge is connected to a legend similar to that of the bridge of Arta. Made entirely of stone, the bridge is a wonder of traditional architecture and is still used today.
