ΤHE CAVERNOUS CHURCH AND THE «STONE GOD»
IN ACROPOLIS OF ANCIENT LARISA IN CRETE

One of the many Greek cities that had the name Larisa* was that of Crete.

This city developed since Minoic times, where today the picturesque village of Kalamafka (at a distance of 25 km from Agios Nikolaos of the Prefecture of Lasithion) is expanding.
The fertile small valley as well as the heights that encompass today’s village appear that they were hosting for a long time the inhabitants of ancient Larisa.
This is evidenced by the ruins on the neighboring hills as well as by the up to now discoveries of statutes, signs and the great number of the found broken vessels.
In the acropolis of the said ancient city we must search for the today’s summit of Kastelo which is situated on the southern side of the village.

Initially, Kastelo must have been a place of worship, whilst later developed into becoming a refuge due to the summits natural fortification.
This is being maintained by the French archeologist Paul Faure, who, besides all else, mentions that life in the acropolis began during the years of mesominoic period and stopped during the classical years.

The word Larisa has pelasgiac origin and denotes castle, acropolis.

The god who was worshipped more in Larisa was Asclepius, the god of medicine, a fact which corroborates with the view of those believing that the cave which is found on the top of the acropolis served as an Asclepion.
Patients used to flock there asking the god to direct them in dreams about the kind of treatment they must follow.
As a verification of the above is the finding in the entrance of the cave of a copper small idol which depicts a worshipper with hands in a state of petition. This statuette is found in the Oxford Museum.
A much bigger number of broken vessels which were found inside or outside the cavern witness to the fact of the continuous use of the cavern for divine purposes.
Life in the cave together with the whole of the summit seems to be interrupted during the end of the classical period and this is because Larisa was annexed to Heirapetna (today’s Hierapetra).

The great history of the cavern was followed by an equally rich tradition during the Christian era.
In the beginning of our century, according to a tradition, a small icon of the Holy Cross was found within the cave, which was transferred to the church of St. Anthony , patron of Kalamafka.
On the following day the icon returned to cave. When this occurred for the second time the villagers decided to convert the cave to a church dedicated to the Holy Cross.

This cavernous church celebrates its anniversary with in splendor on September 14 and a multitude of faithful visits the site climbing up the 224 steps which lead up to its entrance.
Another fact which displays the timeless sanctity of the summit is the presence of the «stone god» situated on the western section of the acropolis and is visible from the road that leads to Hierapetra

The «stone god» is a huge sculpture that depicts the head of an ancient god, which for some is that of Zeus or of Asclepius and for others of Christ. The features of the face are discernible for only few hours in the afternoon and especially during the summer months.
Very near to the «Stone God» broken vessels, golden jewelry, a sword and other small copper items have been discovered.
For all these reasons but mainly to the discovery of the copper statuette of the worshipper, leads us to the conclusion that Kastelo must have been a temple on a hill, like the height Karphi on the Lasithion plateau, some kilometers to the north.
To the modern fan of mountain heights, Kastelo offers a unique opportunity, since it offers to one the possibility to admire the «rock garden» on the western side and on the south towards the Libyan sea that drenches the southerner city of Europe, to appreciate Hierapetra.