Thassos is the northernmost island of the Aegean, it is an ideal destination for holidays, it has spotless beaches with fine sand and green areas with pine and olive trees that touch the sea. On the island there are picturesque, traditional villages and beautiful seaside settlements. Thassos offers visitors unique holidays.
The village of Maries is one of the oldest villages of Thassos. In the old days, iron mines used to operate, today they can be seen abandoned in the ravine to the right of the village. The village took its current form in the Middle Ages.
Maries are located on the western side of the island, approximately 12 kilometers northeast of the seaside Skala Marien. It is a mountainous village in the hinterland of Thassos, amphitheatrically built in a canyon. The village was originally located on a hill opposite the Monastery of Panagia, but was rebuilt in a new location so that it could not be seen by pirates. Maries, like the other mountain villages of Thassos, were once watchtowers and fortresses for protection from pirates. That said, they are built in incredible locations with truly breathtaking views. While the houses in Maries are built close together and are an example of traditional architecture.
A historical monument that transports the visitor to another era, is the beautiful church of the village which is dedicated to the Synaxis of the Archangels and was built in 1803.
It is also true that the place has always maintained special relations with the monasteries of Mount Athos and for this reason a lot of testimonies and information about the area in the Byzantine period have been saved. Indicative of this contact is that there are two stories about how the village got its name. The first is that most of the women in the village were named Marias, and the second that when the pirates destroyed the old village, the only survivors were 2 women named Maria. Due to the close relationship that the area developed with Mount Athos, until 1926, there were three shares of the monasteries of Mount Athos: Karahalos, Xiropotamos, and Stavronikita.
The Maries are famous for their beekeeping. They are surrounded by dense forest and are located in a very calm and peaceful landscape, ideal for those who want to go hiking and enjoy the natural landscape under the shade of pines and plane trees. In Maries the view towards the sunset is fantastic. Here you will find a few taverns and the classic traditional coffee shop. From the village, you can visit the lake created at the center of the island amidst a beautiful natural landscape. It is worth taking a walk there and enjoing the small waterfalls which are being formed.