The monastery of the Ascension of Christ is situated 2,5km to the north-west of Pothia (tel. +30 22430 29479). 2km to the south of the capital you can find the monasteries of Agios Savvas and Agion Panton (tel. +30 22430 28991). The view of Pothia alone makes this area worth visiting. The monastery of Agia Ekaterini (tel. +30 22430 24626) is located 1,5km to the west of the village Vothini. The castle-monastery of Panagia Ipsili or Kira Psili is situated 6km to the north of Vathis. You can reach this place through the village Metohi, from which a road of 2km starts until the middle of the route and, then, there is a path towards the monastery (20 minutes on foot). It is built at a steep location and a part of it is built in a little hollow of a rock. During the village’s feast, the cells are used as guestrooms. According to tradition, it was built by a Kalymnian called Roussos that was caught by the Turks during the paidomazoma (i.e. the practice of forced recruitment of Christian boys under the Ottoman Empire) who, then, became pasha under the name of Gkioul Ahmet. One day, as he was passing by Kalymnos, he remembered his childhood, found his old father and built the monastery. In Panormos, there is the church of Stavros, which is built at a high and steep location, above the resort settlement Kantouni. The monastery of Saint Panteleimonas (tel. +30 22430 48270) is located 1,5km to the north-east of Panormos, at a mound next to a pine forest with a view of Panormos and the surrounding area.
Kalymnos Monasteries-Churches
