Located a few kilometers away from the picturesque village of Milopotamos, towards Limnionas beach, this is definitely one of the places worth visiting on the island! The Cave of Agia Sofia was named in accordance with the local tradition saying that the saint’s body was found there, also depicted in the 13th century murals at the cave’s entrance. It is possible, however, that the caves bearing that name were initially dedicated to “the wisdom of God” and as years went by their name was identified with the saint. In 1955, at the expense of Anna Petrochilos (in memory of her husband Ioannis Petrochilos, as they were the first people to show interest in the case) the cave was thoroughly explored and mapped.
The cave extends to an area of approximately 2000m² but visitors can only see a part of length 200m. In addition to the murals already mentioned, there is also a later church dedicated to Agia Sofia. Moving deeper into the cave you’ll see an impressive spectacle of stalactites, stalagmites and color variations due to the morphology of the region’s rocks. The average temperature in July is 16 °C and humidity 73%. The cave is open to visitors during the summer months and the helpful guides will inform you about its history and Kythironiscus Paragamiani, the little isopod that lives only here.
