Rhodes: The huts of Agios Soulas keep alive a tradition of hundreds of yearstranslated

A unique festival, among the dozens that take place every summer on the islands of the Dodecanese and throughout the country, is that of Agios Soulas, or Agios Silas. It is not just a religious festival that culminates on July 30. It is a living tradition, preserved for hundreds of years and continues to be passed down from generation to generation, preserving elements that may have been lost from other festivals. Around the monastery, in the pine forest, an entire small state is created every summer, where faith, collectivity and popular tradition coexist in a way that is hard to find today.

The roots of the festival go back to the early Christian times. According to local tradition, when the Apostle Paul visited Rhodes during his third apostolic tour, around 54 AD, he was accompanied by Saint Silas.

While Paul remained in Lindos, Silas toured the villages of the island, preaching the new faith. Arriving at the present site of Agios Sula, where there was a pagan altar, he performed, according to tradition, the first recorded Christian miracle in Rhodes, healing a man suffering from…