The temple of Saint Stephen (Agios Stephanos) is located in the eastern part of the island, near the village Mantamados. It belongs to the type of aisleless cruciform churches and dates approximately in the late Byzantine years. It is of relatively small dimensions and was totally constructed with carved stones of rose-colored trachyte.
It was initially roofed with a dome, which however had already collapsed
when the traveler Newton visited the church in the mid-19th century. The roof was rebuilt by the local inhabitants, with the placing of wooden beams in the place of the dome and the covering with bricks. In the eastern side, three semicircle apses of the holy altar are discerned, while arches ornament the north and south wall.
The roofed shed with pillars in the west of the church is a more recent
construction, too. Architectural elements of an older church and a Roman inscription
are found incorporated in the walls.
The small settlement of "Aggeioplastes" (Potters), not far
from the church itself, in a location called "Anichtos", with characteristic pottery
workshops and furnaces is of particular interest as well.
Byzantine & Post-Byzantine Monuments
Art & culture
On site monuments
Monastery: Late Byzantine period, AD 1204-1453
Churches: Middle Byzantine period, AD 610-1204
Visiting Information
Free admission
By appointment
Executives & Departments
Archaeological service:, 14th Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities, Mytilini, Tel.: 22510 40135, 22510 40136, Fax: 22510 40112, Email: Requires Login as Tourism Professional