St. John the Hermit Cave or Xenos Cave

St. John the Hermit Cave or Xenos Cave

The Cave of St. John the Hermit or Xenos in Avlaki Gorge, in Akrotiri, is located just a few hundred meters away from Arkoudospilios. Similarly to Arkoudospilios this was a riverbed with a total length of about 135 meters, forming a horizontal room. Its rich decoration is characterized by large stalactites and stalagmites.

At the beginning and the end of the cave there are icons and candles. There is also a carved underground tank with coating, created to collect water. To the right of the gallery, after 15 meters from the entrance, there is a small room with an artificial entrance, where some human bones have been found, probably belonging to a hermit. At the end of the cave, there is a big stone basin, which is told to have been the tomb of St. John the Hermit. Even today, hermitages exist in the nearby vertical walls of the gorge.