The church is dedicated to the Archangels Michael and Gabriel. The locals refer to the church as ?Megalos Taksiarhis? (the big Archangels Church), in order to distinguish it from the older temple in the village. The temple is located on the grounds of the preexisting castle tower. After the Genovese left the island and during the Turkish occupation the tower was left abandoned. The locals of Mesta decided its demolition and erection of a church in its place. The works lasted 10 years and the church was completed in 1868. It is the biggest church in Chios and one of the bigger ones in Greece.