Learning that somewhere in the world there is a small church without a roof, you wonder: how did this happen? Usually temples are just known for their painted, unique domes! Not all of them, though. The one that will be discussed, of course, has a roof, just not the same as we are used to seeing.
The roof of such a church is formed by cave vaults. There is a church in the rock on the top of Kakavos - a huge rock located on the territory of Greece, more precisely, on Lemnos - an island in the Aegean Sea.
History
The church was built a long time ago, but there is no definite information on this subject - it is assumed that in the XIV century or later. It was then that the hermit monks began to live here. Then the Turks attacked the islands of Greece, so Kacavos became a secluded place for monks.
At the beginning of the XIV century, monks from the island of Agios Efstratios settled here, hiding from Turkish raids. Presumably the temple was bought by representatives of the Great Lavra. It is the main monastery of Mount Athos. Since then, the history of the church of Panagia Kakaviotissa begins.
Icon and traditions
The name of the temple is translated as "Unfading Rose", which is associated with the main tradition of this church. Services were held here in honor of this icon.
One day the monks left the temple. Some say that they went to Mount Athos, while others say that the monks began to die, and new ones did not come. Anyway, the last monk, who lives out the last days of his life, asked the local shepherd to bring an icon here and hold a service every Bright Tuesday. He, of course, did not dare to refuse.
It is believed that then there was a tradition to come to this church to hold an annual service. Here they also bring the icon of the Virgin, allegedly guarded by the descendants of that shepherd. On Bright Tuesday, the entire population of the island comes here. Truth or fiction, but still the legend is interesting, so poetic!
When to visit?
However, the church is always open to parishioners, you can come on ordinary days. To go to it, you need to overcome the path with steps carved into the rock. The temple is small, with white walls, a gate, a modest altar, similar to a small box. Consequently, it will not be possible to spend a lot of time here. Although guidebooks claim a view of the sea, in fact, judging by the pictures taken by tourists, it turns out that it is far away.
