Amartos Medieval Tower, Monastery and Cave Chapel
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Thursday, 6 November 2025
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Amartos Cave Chapel and Tower
Amartos Medieval Tower, Monastery and Cave Chapel
Amartos is a medieval site consisting of a monastery plus a ruined square tower. Travelling further towards the coast, there is a cave that is said to have holy dripping water where a miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary was discovered, together with local folklore tradition and legend.
Amartos Cave Chapel and Tower - Essential Information
Walk Statistics (calculated from GPX):
- Start location: Amartos Tower
- Distance: km ( miles)
- Total Gain: metre ( ft)
- Total Descent: metre ( ft)
- Min Height: metre ( ft)
- Max Height: metre ( ft)
- Walk Time:
- Walk Grade: moderate
- Terrain: track and footpath
Maps:
The following maps and services can assist in navigating this route. There are links to printed maps and links to downloadable GPX route data for importing into navigational software and apps.
- GPX Route File
Route Verification Details
- Date of Walk: 08/10/2025
- Walk Time: 10:30:00 to 12:30:00
- Walkers: Griff, Kat
- Weather Conditions: Warm, blue skies with lots of bubbling white clouds
Walk Notes
A discovery on the map
Many walks undertaken upon this site are initiated by interrogating maps and viewing satellite images. If there is something that looks historic or just curious then we attempt to plan a walk to investigate. This is one such instance of the sort of discovery found on a map. A place we had neither heard about or had seen on tourist websites that provided a sense of intrigue.
In the vast majority of our walks we attempt to use public transport but during 2025, with a week based in Apollona it became clear that there was very limited public transport and a hire car would enable us to get to places that we could not walk to, and could not find accommodation close enough to where we wanted to explore. This gave us a lot wider scope of finding hidden places, and off the beaten track locations where we could park up, and then walk to where we wanted to explore.
What follows, is a description of what we found, with additional research and investigation after the visit to provide us with more information on what we had seen and experienced, and to answer questions that the sights posed. This page is the fruits of those investigations and, hopefully, this provides encouragement for others to follow in our footsteps.
Amartos: A Blend of History, Mystery, and Mountain Views
Amartos, near the village of Kritinia on Rhodes west coast, is home to a stunning mountainous landscape, a rich medieval history, and a remarkable local legend.
The area can be accessed by a minor road that connects to the coast road close to the junction for Embonas. Until recently, this was no more than a dirt track, but it has now been upgraded with an asphalt surface all the way through to the Monastery of Panagia Amarta and beyond to Kritinia village, as part of road upgrades in the area.
The road twists and turns down the mountainside, and after 2.8 km (1.7 miles), you will arrive at the Amartos Monastery contained in an open courtyard. Behind this, stands a ruined square tower. The tower was originally three stories tall and now sits on private ground, so access is limited, although the paths around the area provide fine views of this ruin. In the church courtyard, to the right of the church stands a square marble fragment that was originally embedded in the wall of the tower. This is engraved with the coat of arms of the Knights of St. John. The Monastery is of typical Rhodian design. While we couldn't access the interior (likely due to the sacred icon housed within), the structure itself is captivating.
The Mystery of the Name
Both the area and the monastery use the name Amartou or Amartos, although its origin is unclear. Some sources attribute it to a French nobleman, Amarto, who was said to have built the tower. No historic references to such a character have thus far been found, therefore this maybe just local folklore. Other sources suggest it may come from a dedication to Santa Marta or Saint Martha, the name then localized to Amartos.
On the Kritinia village website, a PDF contains the history of the village, favouring the Saint Martha derivation. This is revealing, as it explains the formation of the settlement and its eventual demise:
On February 24, 1493, Grand Master Cardinal Dobson granted permission for 10 families from Halki to settle in the area of Agia Martha (Amartos), in order to monitor the entire western sea to prevent enemy fleets from approaching. The ten families from Halki who requested to settle in Agia Martha constituted a small group of 42 people. The Chalkians undertook to monitor the sea in exchange for the land they received for cultivation and grazing.
In the area of Amartos, there is still a small chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary, built on the foundations of an older one, a ruined tower, which was provided for in the settlement document and referred to as completed, as well as the ruins of mud-brick houses.
Over the years, the inhabitants of the area, unable to withstand the frequent raids of bloodthirsty pirates and in order to escape these attacks, began to move higher up towards the foothills of Atavyros, with those engaged in fishing and agriculture settling in the current location of Castellou and those engaged mainly in livestock farming to settle higher up on a natural plateau, creating the village of Embonas. The name of the village Embonas comes from the Doric word ambon (ambones: mountain passes). The creation of our village ... slightly north of the settlement of Agia Martha (Amartos) seems to have caused the abandonment of the settlement and the absorption of its inhabitants by the new village.
This may appear to use the source as Giacomo Bosio's publication detailing the history of the Order of St John (‘Dell’istoria della sacra religione’, Vol 2, 1695), commonly referred to as Istoria.
In a footnote of for the first chapter of Medieval Greece Encounters by Michael Heslop, the author references Istoria where he says it recounts that
... in 1476 two coastal towers were to be built, one opposite the island of Alimnia and the other towards Santa Marta. The second tower was possibly Amartos. The [tower] is a rectangular tower, but has no barbican as originally intended – perhaps it was not completed owing to the financial constraints of the time. A problem, however, in assuming that this tower is Amartos, is the fact that the inhabitants of Halki were given the chance of moving to the island of Rhodes in 1493, so long as they contributed to the construction of the tower of Santa Marta, which presumably is the tower at Amartos.
There is obviously a dilemma here on when the tower was actually constructed, was it when the Halki incumbents arrived on the island or 17 years prior to that, either by or under order of the Knights of St John. Hence the mystery about the name. Could the original construction have been undertaken by a French Nobleman Amarto? We may never fully know.
The Folklore of the Icon
We now move onto the cave chapel, which is some 20 to 30 minutes walk away down a footpath that leads alongside the tower and continues down the hillside, eventually meeting the track to the beach. There is a path that diverges from this which leads around the mountainside although hikers have said this is difficult to find and to navigate along.
Before the beach is reached, a track leads off on the right where a small signpost directs visitors to ΠΡΟΣ ΣΠΗΛΑΙΟ (TO THE CAVE). Following this around will lead to 142 steps, each face painted white, climbing the rocky mountainside. A turn then reveals the cave chapel peeking out from two rocky sides, whilst the cave is wedged into the rock face above.
The entrance door to the cave is tiny, probably less than 1.5 m in height, requiring one to crouch down in order to enter. Painted on the door is a simple warning: ΜΗΝ ΑΤΙΝΕΤΕ ΛΑΔΙ ΣΤΑ ΠΛΑΣΤΙΚΑ (DO NOT POUR OIL ONTO PLASTIC). Outside are a multitude of icons strewn across the rocks, some sheltering within the confines of another little cavity. The rocks are discoloured from water running down them, painted white crosses are daubed on the rock. This is obviously a place of sanctity and deep devotion.
The door is solemnly opened and we crawl through to witness an equally devout setting. An ornamental gold burner hangs from the ceiling, the walls are liberally decorated with hanging icons. On the right a bench sculptured out of the rock contains more icons propped against the wall behind. At the head of the cave are three icons, a cross and three candles.
A Tale of Divine Intervention
The history of this tiny cave is steeped in folklore. You have to go back to the times when the sea belonged to pirates and life was precarious. The fishermen of Halki often crossed the channel to this hidden stretch of Rhodes, and here, nestled beneath a rocky cliff not far from the shore, they made a wondrous discovery: a small Icon of the Virgin Mary. The modern version of the tale briefly goes like this:
Believing this sacred treasure belonged with their community, they reverently carried the icon across the water back to Halki.
But the icon had other plans.
The very next morning, the icon was gone from its new home. It had miraculously returned to the quiet cave dwelling on the coast of Amartos. The islanders tried again, and again, to bring the holy image home, suspecting theft, yet each time, the icon mysteriously and silently journeyed back to the rock where it was first found.
Fearing they were defying a divine will, the people finally left the icon in peace. It became a beacon, for tradition tells us that every night, a mysterious light was seen shining at the spot of the rock. Soon, the news spread that the waters dripping from the rock, now called Agiópetra (Holy Rock), possessed healing powers, especially for eye impairments, a gift attributed to the Virgin Mary herself.
The cave was not meant to be empty. It was destined to be a sacred place.
The Original Written Record
The enduring oral tradition of this folklore was officially recorded as early as 1930 by the Academy of Athens, Centre for Greek Folklore (Ροδιακό Ημερολόγιο, Vol. II, 1930, p.72). A translation of the 1930 Greek publication states
To the north of the Monastery (of Amartos) and a distance of about 20 minutes from it near the sea, there is a stalactite rock. Under it is formed a kind of cave, inside which, as they say, a small icon of the Virgin Mary was found. This icon, the inhabitants of Halki who regularly traveled from Halki to Ammoudi, removed from its cave-like residence and transported it to Halki.
But miraculously, the icon of the Virgin Mary after some time was found again in its previous residence. The Chalcidians, assuming that it was a matter of theft and transfer of the icon under the rock, attempted to remove the icon from its place again a second and third time, but always without result, because the icon mysteriously disappeared and returned to its place under the rock.
The Chalcidians, after these failed attempts, fearing that they might suffer some harm with their persistence, no longer attempted to move it from its place. Tradition also states that every night the Chalcidians would see a light in the exact place of the rock. This miraculous property of the icon quickly spread among the inhabitants of the surrounding villages and many of them began to frequent the place where the rock and the icon were, they lit candles, touched the icon, burned incense, offered various offerings and left receiving a little "holy" water, i.e. healing water which came out drop by drop from bulges, in the form of breasts of the stalactite rock. The rock has since been called “Agiópetra” or "Holy Stone" because of the healing power of the water which was observed for various eye diseases, attributed to the miraculous power of the Virgin Mary.
The folklore story no doubt dates back many centuries and has been told and retold as spoken word throughout that time. The taking of an icon with its mysterious reappearance in its original place is a theme that recurs in other folklore on Rhodes.
The icon was eventually transferred to the Monastery by the tower, and is a place of pilgrimage for the villages of the area. It is celebrated on the 8th of September with solemn divine services, vespers, and a traditional feast.
Amartos showcases the intersection of history, geography, and folklore. The miraculous icon, Agiópetra cave, and ongoing local devotion demonstrate how oral tradition endures. While historical documentation of the icon’s removal is limited, the tale continues to inspire pilgrims and visitors alike.
References
The following sources were referenced in the construction of this article:
- Castles of Greece – Description and history of Amartos Tower.
- RodosReport – Description of the monastery and cave.
- Municipality of Rhodes PDF – Lists Panagia Amartou and the miraculous icon.
- Kritinia Local Bulletin – Historical and folkloric notes about the monastery and holy water traditions.
- Medieval Greece Encounters Between Latins, Greeks And Others In The Dodecanese Michael Heslop.
- Dell'istoria della sacra religione et ill.ma militia di San Giouanni gierosolimitano di Iacomo Bosio Volume 2 This is the Istoria that is related to although we should reference the 1695 edition, with additions, which this is not.
Directions
The location is not accessible by public transport. A car is the best means to access the area. In recent years the track to Amartos has been asphalted and enables the area to be accessed from the main road near to the Embonas turn on the west coast road. There is a blue road sign at the start of the road that declares ΙΕΡΆ ΜΟΝΉ AMAPTO. The road is narrow and twists and turns throughout. The asphalt leads to the Monastery compound which consists of a simple chapel.
- From the chapel, proceed through the courtyard to the far side and exit onto the track that leads past the ruined tower
- Continue straight ahead ignoring the other tracks on either side
- The track will bend to the right, then sharply to the left, after which a straight 100m leads to a junction. Turn left
- Where the track leads into an area with an open field on the right, there is a fence. You can get around this on the right hand side.
- Continue onwards until it junctions with a main track. Turn right and continue down the hill.
- Keep to the main track for 0.7 km ignoring all other tracks. There will be a rough track on the right with a signpost marked ΠΡΟΣ ΣΠΗΛΑΙΟ
- The track will bend around to the right then you need to keep bearing right, ignoring the track on the left.
- After 130m the steps will lead you up to the cave chapel
- Return the way you came, back down onto the main track that leads up the hill
- Where the path to the tower that you came down on, ignore this and proceed on the mian track
- After 0.5 km take the main track that leads off on the left
- After 0.3 km the track meets the road, turn left and continue back to the Monastery
Summary of Document Changes
Last Updated: 2025-11-06
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