The ROTONDA – Byzantine Church in Episkopi is open again to the public!
The Holy Church of the Archangel Michael (Rotonda) Diocese is open to the public again!
The Municipality of Platanias has announced that, in cooperation with the Bureau of Antiquities of Chania, an employee was employed also this year at the Holy Church of Michael the Archangel (Rotonda) in the Diocese of Kolymbari.
Opening hours:
daily from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Sunday (except Tuesdays), until early November 2025.
WHERE: Episkopi, about 10 km south of Kolymbari. For map click here.
The outstanding Church of the Archangel Michael, dating back to the 6th century A.D. , was built on sloped terrain outside the settlement of Kato Episkopi, Kissamos.
It is a rectangular building, that develops around a large, externally staged and mastoid internally dome.
The church is decorated with mosaic floors, decorated with leaves, crimsonates, olive leaves, fish and a frame of twisted semicircles, dating back to the second half of the 6th century, during which the entire complex was built.
What makes the Rotonda so unique in Crete is its stepped dome with five concentric rings, which, in general, is very rare in Byzantine architecture. The church dating back to the 6th century (first Byzantine period), became the seat of the Bishop of Kissamos during the second Byzantine period. During this period it was extended. Most notable are the partially preserved frescoes, which consist of four to five layers, painted between the 7th and the 14th centuries.
Source: Municipality of Platanias
