Milatos cave or Rapas cave

Milatos cave or Rapas cave

Milatos Cave, also known as Rapas cave, is located 3km northeast of Milatos at an altitude of 155m. In order to reach the cave, the visitor should drive 2.5km east of Milatos (following the road sings) and then walk in the uphill footpath that leads to the cave entrance (10-15 minutes walking).

Cave is easily accessible, is open to visitors, but torches are necessary for those who want to see the darker points of the cave.

The cave has 8 entrances along a face of 40m. The main entrance has 9m width and 2m height. The rightmost entrance allows the daylight illuminating the room where the chapel of Saint Thomas is built. Both entrances lead to the main part of the cave.

In the first hall of the main part of the cavern, locals built in 1935 a chapel dedicated to Apostle Thomas, which celebrates on St. Thomas Sunday.

The cave consists of many small halls at different levels. In the main part of the cave, near the chapel, the floor descends and turns horizontal later. The cave is full of small and large columns, arranged in rows and dividing the cave into different chambers. Stalagmites are few but spectacular, while stalactites are scarce.

The overall length of the cave is 75m, the width near the entries is 45m and this decreases as you walk inside the cavern. The deepest part of the cave is located 12m below the entry level. Access is easy, but the visitor should bend in a few points. The overall routes inside the cavern approach 200m.

At the back of the cave, an altar has been found in a natural cavity. In front of it, archaeologists found ancient graves, human bones and particles of pottery. These findings indicate that the cave has been used as a place for burials.