Sites of interest

Ancient monuments and sites of archaeological interest

The Tallaras Baths in Maltezana are Hellenistic baths with mosaics unique in Greece with blue and terracotta colours. They are in a good state of repair and the compositions are interesting with the subject being the seasons of the year and the symbols of the zodiac.

The Monument to the French admiral Bignon, leader of the struggle against the pirates at the beginning of the 18th century, located near Schinonda. There is a Heroes Monument in Hora.

At the mouth of Vathy Bay are the remains of a Minoan settlement and the ruins of a tower. The remains of a Paleo-Christian Basilica from the 5th century with remarkable mosaics can be seen at Maltezana. The Church of Aghia Varvara has been built atop them with an Ionian capital in the door lintel. In the grounds of the church are monolithic columns and their bases. The meadow in front was once the site of the temple of Artemis.

Fortresses

The Venetian Quirini Fortress with the heraldic shield of the family. In architectural terms it belongs to the fortified settlement category where the outer walls of the houses are the curtain walls with small openings as murder holes. The home of the Quirini is built around the entrance on the eastern side and covers two storeys. Until 1956 the entire fortress was inhabited. Inside the fortress are two churches painted white with ornate bell towers. At the entrance is Panaghia Kastriani (Evangelistria) and at the end Aghios Georgios. The Panaghia Church was built in 1853 above the arched entrance to the fortress. Inside there is a founder's inscription dated 1413 and the heraldic shields of the Quirini. Aghios Georgios was built in 1790.

Ai Yanni Fortress stands opposite the monastery with the same name. It is a natural fortress and is said to have a secret entrance and passageway to the next hill. Barbarossa, the feared pirate, attacked here and annihilated the residents. According to tradition the fortress was impregnable. Ruins of buildings and cisterns have survived. It was perhaps here that the residents of the island took refuge during the difficult years of pirate raids that scourged the Aegean from the 7th century on. Access is difficult.

Monasteries and Churches

The church of Panaghia Portaitissa in Hora, white with a charming bell tower, stands below the Fortress in Rhodia - a poetic place name taken from the tree which stood in the church's grounds. It is one of the most beautiful churches in the Dodecanese. It was founded by Blessed Anthimos in the mid 18th century. It has a carved wooden iconostasis covered in fine gold leaf, unique for its kind. Tradition says that the icon is an imprint of an icon from Iviron Monastery on Mount Athos. They say that the wood was placed atop the icon and it copied itself. Next to Panaghia church is a small ecclesiastical collection with old icons.

Megali Panaghia church in Hora with its pebbled courtyard. This is part of a complex of five churches which, with the sea as their background, create an enchanting picture.

Panaghia Flevariotissa Monastery in Hora built in a cave in the side of the hill. Inside the cave lies part of the church supplemented by a building in the Byzantine style. In antiquity this was a place of worship as can be seen from parts taken from older buildings lying around the courtyard. The carved wooden iconostasis is worth viewing.

Aghios Ioannis Monastery lies 12 km west of Hora and is built in an impressive landscape amid two steep slopes with a view of the sea and the islets of Ktenia, Pontikoussa and Ofidoussa. Below the church are gardens and springs with bubbling water. The streams end up at beaches with crystal clear waters.

Picturesque chapels

Of particular note are Aghios Dimitrios (5 km SW), Aghios Eleftherios (7 km SW), Aghios Panteleimon (9 km W), Aghios Georgios (6.5 Km S) and Aghios Konstantinos (7 km S).

Ascension Chapel (Analipsi) is the oldest in the village of Maltezana.

The church of Panaghia Poulariani lies NE on the way to Vathy. She is the patron of sailors. The rock here is in the shape of the Virgin with child in her embrace. According to tradition, during bad weather the lights come on. The church can be reached by boat or by footpath.

Panaghia chapel lies ruined on the road to Vathy.

Aghios Nikolaos church stands on a hill in Mesa Vathy.

The churches of Aghios Ioannis in Exo Vathy and Panaghia Thomiani are worth visiting.

There are also ruins of a Paleo-Christian Basilica on Aghios Vasilios Hill in Livadia.