The last church of the day is a short distance back up the mountain in Pedoulas. It is also more difficult to access compared to the other ones as it is in the middle of the village so we have to find the right way through the narrow streets. We somehow get there and then even find a parking spot near the church so out we go to explore. The church itself is similar with the one in Moutoulla but it has an interesting addition in the back including a bell.
The small church was built in 1474 by a local painter named Minas, who came from the area of Marathasa. On two levels, the church is completely decorated in the local post-Byzantine style that developed prior to Venetian rule. On the upper level, there are eleven paintings from the Festival Cycle; on the lower level, there are depictions of the saints.
The saint murals are quite beautiful with probably the best realized one being Archangel Michael – which makes a lot of sense given the name of the church.
There are quite a few murals to look at in the small church and we are especially drawn to one of a king and queen based on the crowns. In fact if our knowledge of Greek script holds it is a mural of the emperor Constantine the Great and his mother Helena of Constantinople also known as Saint Helena both important saints in Christianity.
