Acts 20:14-15
On his way back to Jerusalem (carrying a gift of cash from the churches in Achaia and Macedonia) Paul had spent seven days in Troas (Acts 20:6-12) then walked to Assos (Acts 20:13) where he joined the others aboard ship for Mytilene (Acts 20:14). This is the only mention of Mytilene in scripture.
No details are given of Paul's stay in Mytilene. However, it was the 'next day' that they went on toward Chios so, unless they stayed on board ship in the harbour, Paul's group spent a night in the harbour town.
We were able to visit Mytilene in June 2019, arriving by overnight ferry from Athens on a Monday morning.
Mytilene is on the south eastern coast of the island of Lesvos. It is a compact but picturesque harbour town, relatively easy to get around on foot. Ermou Street, in part, runs along the route of the Euripus - a channel which connected the north and south harbours of Mytilene in antiquity The southern harbour is the main shipping port today but, in the first century, Paul's ship would probably have entered the northern harbour.
A mole of the old, northern, harbour is visible just on water level running out from below the northern extremity of the, much later, Castle of Mytilene. Across the road at the eastern end of the north harbour, on the corner of Ermou Street, is a delightful Orthodox chapel in honour of St Paul. Its north facing exterior wall features a large mosaic of Paul, standing on a map of Lesvos, looking out over the norther harbour. The interior features a myriad of frescoes depicting scenes from Paul's life.
Other sites worth visiting while in Mytilene include the theatre, the Castle of Mytilene and the Archaeological Museum. If you visit the museum first, you may be able to pick up a map brochure which helps locate a range of remains from antiquity scattered throughout the town.
Lesvos is the third largest of the Greek Islands so there is, of course, much more to explore on the island if you have the time. We hired a scooter to visit an extant arcade bridge of the Roman aqueduct supplying water to Mytilene; the Sanctuary of Messa; the Kremastis Bridge; and Skala Sikamineas, where it is possible to look over the Gulf of Edremit to Assos, from whence Paul and his companions sailed to Mytilene.
Click here for a Google Earth view of Mytilene.
If Paul came ashore for his overnight stay in Mytilene, it was almost certainly via the north harbour.
Along the waterfront road there are exposed ruins from the Roman period. See the map available from the museum for details of this and other remains from antiquity.
A beautiful Orthodox chapel, dedicated to St Paul, is at the northern extreme of Ermou Street, overlooking the north harbour.
Access to the theatre is signposted from Agias Kiriakis. It is about a 20 min walk from the southern harbour to the pin mark at left. There is an elevation gain of about 75m so the less physically fit may choose to drive or ride.
Access to the museum is at the northern end of the site, walking (driving/riding) up the narrow, one way, 8i Noemvriou.
Depending on who is on duty you may be able to use a tripod to get some good photographs in the low light!
Access to the castle is at the southern end of the site. From the Archaeological Museum, continue up 8i Noemvriou and turn right into Gatelouzou.
When we were there (Jun 2019), the castle was closed on Mondays.
This impressive section of arcade bridge is accessible by road. Some of the arches are crumbling and restoration work is under way. I'm not sure about the look of that!
There are other extant sections of roman aqueduct which we tracked down: one seemed to be on military land; the other required a three hour walk from the road.
A quaint fishing village on the northern coast of Lesvos. Having previously had a distant view of Lesvos from the acropolis of Assos, I was keen to see if I could look back the other way. Mission accomplished!