In Korisós, a springtime custom and two churches with different histories take centre stage. The Lazarines tradition brings together songs, decorated baskets and a procession; Agios Georgios also gives the village a historical and architectural landmark. This provides a clear cultural focus for planning your trip, without conflating the custom and the churches into a single visitor attraction.

Lazarines: Songs, baskets and spring greetings

As part of the Lazarines tradition in Korisós, girls aged 3 to 15 sing Lazarus songs and carry decorated baskets. The custom culminates in a procession around Agios Georgios and songs welcoming spring. Both the group singing and the procession are therefore part of the traditional portrayal of the custom.

On Lazarus Saturday, the streets of Korisós fill with white costumes and joyful voices. This scene gives the custom its own seasonal character: the songs welcome spring, while the baskets and costumes are other visible elements of the tradition. Visitors particularly interested in local customs will find a tangible way to connect with Korisós’s cultural identity here.

Agios Georgios and the churches of Korisós

The small church of Agios Georgios is considered an important surviving historic monument. It is an example of vernacular architecture and features folk icons. These characteristics make it a different cultural landmark from the Lazarines custom: here, the focus is on architectural form, visual art and inherited history.

Nearby stands the cemetery church of Agios Georgios, founded in 1897. The two churches should be considered separately: the small church is distinguished by its architecture and icons, while the cemetery church is defined by its own historical founding. Together, they offer different perspectives on the village’s history.

Further cultural perspectives in the wider destination of Kastoria

In the wider destination of Kastoria, the Kastorian Ragoutsaria custom marks a distinct point in the annual calendar. It takes place every year on 6, 7 and 8 January. In contrast with the Lazarines’ spring songs, the two traditions fall at different times of year: Ragoutsaria takes place on three fixed days in January, while the Lazarines tradition welcomes spring.

Kastoria’s mansions also offer a variety of architectural landmarks. The traditional Papaterpou mansion on Kastoria’s lakeside road, Megalou Alexandrou Street, has been dated to 1880. The Tsatsiapa mansion in the Apozari neighbourhood was built in 1754. It is the city’s only surviving three-storey mansion with a rectangular floor plan and a pronounced horizontal axis. Their dates and architectural forms provide distinct historical and architectural points of interest.

In Kastoria, the Folklore Museum is housed in the Nerantzi Aivazi mansion in the traditional Doltso neighbourhood; it presents the life of an aristocratic family from Kastoria. Also in Doltso, the Costume Museum in the mansion of the Emmanuel brothers displays authentic costumes from across Greece, including elaborately made costumes from Kastoria. The Museum of the Macedonian Struggle exhibits belongings left by descendants of the Macedonian fighters, uniforms, photographs and historical maps. The oldest of the maps mentioned dates from 1550.

Another perspective on the built heritage is offered by the Kourshoum Mosque, the only one of Kastoria’s seven Ottoman mosques still standing. Experts believe it may have been built in the early 15th century on the foundations of an older Byzantine church. This proposed date remains a possibility, not a confirmed building history.

Landscape and protected nature in Kastoria

Kastoria is built amphitheatrically on a piece of land enclosed by Lake Orestiada. The Greek Ministry of Culture has designated the lake a natural monument of outstanding beauty, and it is included in the European Natura 2000 network for environmental protection. A short circular path around the lake passes plane trees, old mansions and churches, and offers views of the calm water.

The Dragon Cave in Kastoria offers another perspective on nature. Its visitor route is 300 metres long and passes through ten chambers and by seven small freshwater lakes. Stalactites, stalagmites and palaeontological finds are among its described features, including cave bear bones approximately 10,000 years old. In the wider destination of Kastoria, nature, landscape and historic buildings can thus be explored as distinct themes alongside the local custom and churches of Korisós.

Discover more destinations: Maniakoi, Kato Nestorio, Mesopotamia Aliakmonas, Áyios Zakharías, Kastoria, Nea Kotili, Kleisoura, Aghia Triada.

Back to the wider travel guide: Kastoria.