CHURCH OF ST STEPHEN (AGIOS STEFANOS) AT MANTAMADOS
The church of St Stephen (Agios Stephanos) is
located in the eastern pert of the island, near the village Mantamados. It
belongs to the type of aisle less 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.
d 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. 
