Agio Galas Cave & Church

Chios


Only a small section of the island's largest cave is accessible, but the main reason to drive all the way to the northern tip of Chios is the 12th-century cave church of Agio Galas just above the official cave entrance. Local woodcarvers populated the exquisite wooden altar with whimsical creatures barely compatible with Christian doctrine – mermaids, dragons and a character reminiscent of Dionysos, all of them looking heavily pregnant, even the dragons.

There are no specific hours, but the family that operates it is always around.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Chios attractions

1. Anavatos

14.07 MILES

At the end of a silent stretch of road that branches off the main road near Avgonyma, this solemn site serves as a reminder of the island's brutal history…

2. Nea Moni

16.78 MILES

At the island’s centre, Nea Moni is a World Heritage–listed 11th-century Byzantine monastery. Once one of Greece’s richest monasteries, it attracted pre…

3. Mausoleum of Inousses

19.68 MILES

In the leafy courtyard of the Church of Agia Paraskevi stands the Mausoleum of Inousses, where the island’s ship-owning dynasties have endowed the tombs…

4. Nautical Museum of Inousses

19.75 MILES

Created in 1965, this handsome museum showcases the collection of local shipping magnate Antonis Lemos. Many of the models on display (some intentionally…

5. Turkish Bath

19.82 MILES

With its bubble-like cupolas pierced to let in gentle shafts of light, this classic early-18th-century hammam (Turkish bath) was built as a charitable…

6. Giustiniani Palace Museum

19.92 MILES

Near the main gate of the kastro (castle) this tiny museum (or 'Palataki') still looks like the 15th-century fortress it once was. It houses rotating…

7. Byzantine Museum

19.98 MILES

Housed in a 19th-century Ottoman mosque, the Medjitie Djami, this museum contains relics from the Byzantine, post-Byzantine, Genoese and Islamic periods,…