The tiny Church of Saint Andrew in Skala Eressos
sits on a quiet shaded road next to the cathedral of Saint Andrew and
the ruins of the ancient basilica of the same name. The saint himself,
whose body lay in repose for many years until returned to his native
Crete in the nineteenth century, died in a shipwreck off the coast of
Eressos.
The church is also next to the archeological
museum. There are many churches around the island which celebrate on the
name days of their patron saints. If you ask in the town you are staying
in they will tell you when these festivals (panagiris) take place. Some
of the more remote villages have interesting festivals with aspects that
seem to have remnants of pagan times.
Some festivals have horse races as part of the
festivities and attract all sorts of people selling anything from icons
to bootleg pop music CD's. The bigger festivals put up posters around
the island.
