Next to the bed of the Skyla stream, outside Arvanitochori, a chapel is built inside a cave — and its entrance has been intentionally left unfinished.
Panagia Potamitissa is located outside Arvanitochori, next to the bed of the Skyla stream. It is built inside a cave rather than a freestanding building, something rare among the churches of the island. According to tradition, a shepherd discovered an icon of the Virgin Mary there, and the church was built exactly on that spot.
The unfinished entrance
A characteristic detail of the chapel is that the entrance to the cave is intentionally left unfinished at the top. The locals attribute this to the will of the Virgin Mary herself, without however giving a clear explanation for the reason — one of the small, inexplicable traditions that accompany the temples of Kasos. The chapel celebrates the Presentation of the Virgin Mary, on November 21.
Sources
The information on this page is based on the following sources:
- Municipality of Heroic Island of Kasos: «"The churches of Kasos"»
- Kasos Tours: «"The churches of Kasos"»
- Hellenic Seaways: «"Kassos, the undiscovered secret of the Aegean"»