The Basilicas of Saint Stephen in Kos is located on a rocky spot just above the beach of Kamari, in southern Kos. The basilicas of Saint Stephen are a complex of two early Christian churches dating from the 6th and the 5th century BC. There is a larger church on the southern side of the rock and a smaller on the north. These two churches shared a baptistery and they were connected to the neighboring islet of Kastri with a bridge that was later destroyed by an earthquake. The basilica at the south was three-aisled with two rows of columns, a semicircular vault on the east and a rectangular narthex on the west. This narthex had two entrances, while the church floor was covered with beautiful mosaics depicting birds. The basilica at the north was also three-aisled but smaller in size. Between these two churches, there was a rectangular building that served as a baptistery for both of them. This ancient site was excavated in 1932 by the Italian archaeologist Luciano Lorenzi. Excavations lasted from 1935 to 1943, while some Ionic columns were also discovered on the shore.
Right opposite the beach is the tiny Kastri islet. It is totally rocky and barren with little vegetation. Some remains of an old castle lie on top of this rocky islet that used to guard the bay from enemies and pirates. On the other side, there is a small chapel in blue and white colors dedicated to Saint Nicolas, the saint protector of sailormen.
Your task to log cache:
Make a photo of you (person) between columns with outstretched hands and attach the photo to your log. Logs without the photo will be deleted.
Virtual Rewards 2.0 - 2019/2020
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between June 4, 2019 and June 4, 2020. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 2.0 on the Geocaching Blog.