The Monastery of the Taxiarchis (Archangel Michael) stands just outside Mandamados and is the most visited religious site on Lesbos. Its fame rests primarily on its icon of the Archangel, a singular object in the Orthodox tradition: dark-coloured, fully three-dimensional rather than flat, and surrounded by elaborate offerings left by pilgrims from across Greece and the diaspora. The monastery also keeps a large black bull on its grounds as a votive offering — a practice that continues today and tends to surprise first-time visitors.
The monastery complex itself is handsome, with a large central courtyard, a well-maintained church, and cloisters lined with cells. Outside the main pilgrim feast days it is quiet and accessible; on 8 November (the feast of the Taxiarchis) it draws enormous crowds from across the island. Dress modestly to enter. The monastery is a working religious community — photography inside the church is limited.