Karpathos Island | MESOCHORI SITES Information on Karpathos holidays - Greece     Mesochori Sites - Karpathos island   Church of St. John the Baptist It used to be the central piazza of the village in the past - it has icon paintings dating back to 1781 and a beautiful wood carved icon screen. Panaghia Vrisiani Church Beautiful architecture - worth a visit St. Irene church In Aghia Irini you will find the remains of this Byzantine church with very worn out wall paintings. You go down 6-7 steps and find yourself in the sanctuary - the only part of the church that is still intact. The rest of the church is buried in the sand. You will get to the location by excursion boat. THE HOUSES OF MESOCHORI An original Karpathian house consists of 3 parts: the main house, a smaller house and the oven - all three very close to each other. They are all covered with hand woven carpets and decorated with wood carved shelves full of decorative hand painted clay plates. The floor is often covered with white and black pebbles and the ceiling with big, wooden rafters. Going up 2-3 steps (inside the house) is the "sofas" which is the every day living room; a bit further and going up a couple of steps again is the "mousandra" (the guest room) with a couch decorated again with hand woven items and the "panosoufi" for sleeping. In the centre of the house there is a large, wooden pole that stands for the family's support. During celebrations they decorate it with silk scarves and ribbons.