Skoutari – Church, Customs and Culture of Remembrance

Together, they represent architecture, festive customs and personal remembrance.

Church and architectural history

The Church of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary in Skoutari was built around the middle of the 19th century and consecrated in 1967. The consecration therefore took place significantly later than the stated construction period. For travelers interested in architectural history and religious sites, it is a tangible point of interest in Skoutari; the construction period and consecration mark two different historical dates.

Prinos on Tsiknopempti

Prinos is celebrated in Skoutari on the village square on Tsiknopempti. People in costume celebrate with food, drinks and songs. Unlike the church, the focus here is not a building but a festive custom. If you would like to include local customs in your choice of destination, Prinos offers a clear point of reference: the celebration is tied to a particular occasion and the village square.

Memorabilia in the Folklore Museum

The Folklore Museum in the new Skoutareos displays memorabilia brought by refugees from Skoutari in Eastern Thrace. The museum therefore focuses on personal objects with a specific story of origin. This approach differs both from the church’s architectural history and from the festivities surrounding Prinos. If you give greater weight to the culture of remembrance than to architecture or customs when choosing a destination, you can consider the museum as a distinct point of interest.

Serres as an additional cultural context

Further cultural attractions in the wider destination of Serres add to the picture of Skoutari. The Holy Monastery of Timios Prodromos was built in 1270 and houses a museum of Byzantine art. The King’s Tower of the Acropolis, also called the Tower of Orestes, was built around 1350 and is about 20 meters high. The Zincirli Mosque is located in the southwestern part of the city of Serres and is architecturally part of a group of late-16th-century Ottoman buildings attributed to Sinan’s school. From the monastery and tower to the architectural classification of the mosque, these attractions span several historical periods.

The museums in Serres also cover different areas. The Sarakatsani Folklore Museum displays exhibits on Sarakatsani culture and has been in existence since 1979. The Serres Ecclesiastical Museum displays icons, silver artifacts, liturgical vestments and orphreys. The Natural History Museum of Serres displays various animal species, taxidermied birds, and samples of local plants and minerals. Thus, in the wider destination of Serres, natural history joins folk culture and religious art as a theme.

Serres also has its own culinary associations: buffalo meat and buffalo products such as cold cuts, sausages and kavourmas are important parts of the local gastronomic tradition. Bougatsa from Serres has been a hallmark of the city for decades. When choosing a hotel, it helps to distinguish between Skoutari’s local cultural attractions and the broader cultural and gastronomic offering of Serres.

Discover more destinations: Tholos, Neo Petritsi, Draviskos, Alistrati, Symvoli, Ammoudia, Kerkini, Lithotopos Irakleia.

Go to the main travel overview: Serres.