We then drove on further south, making our way to Asklipio, a village to the south west of Lardos, near an ancient hospital where priests of Asklepeios (the god of healing) took care of the sick. Not much is left of this archaeological site, but the village is a traditional and picturesque spot, with yet another medieval castle on a hill above it. Although Asklipio is a one street village there are a number of things to see. Firstly we stopped in the square and visited the Holy Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. It was built in 1060 AD and has become a major sightseeing venue because of the beautifully decorated interior, where every part of the walls has been covered with frescoes.
An elderly man was on ticket duty (it costs one euro to enter the church and the museum) and he was the source of information. It turned out that he is an Australian-Greek from Sydney and we had a bit of a chat about the village, the church and his life there. He spends six months in Australia and six months in Greece and helps out the community by looking after the museum and the church. He told us that the frescoes had held up well until someone decided that the original plaster on the dome needed to be chiselled off and replaced. It looked good he explained, but unfortunately it let in the moisture so the frescoes became damaged with the damp and mildew. We could see what he meant because although the dome’s frescoes had an ‘aged character’ - they were clearly damaged so much so that it was difficult to distinguish any detail whatsoever. Others, however, were still intact and although much faded over time we were able to distinguish the story of Adam and Eve, the final entry into Jerusalem, the betrayal and the resurrection.
Although the wall painting have been cleaned no attempt appears to have been made in restoring the frescoes, and although there are large parts of missing painting, one is still able to see the intention of the painter and as the smell of incense hung heavily in the church one had a sense of an otherworldiness and peace, an awe and a feeling of humility, a feeling of being in a place that was holy. At either side of the nave were plain vaulted chapels both from which one has glimpses of the church’s artwork. Outside the detached bell tower gives both perfect views and is well placed to inform villagers of pending church services or notable events.
The museum albeit very small has an interesting array of religious artifacts. The building itself is noteworthy, with an original reeded ceiling. This in days gone by was uncommon and reserved for special places to display wealth or as in this case, respect for a higher deity. Another building houses a folk museum with the regulation old tools, furniture, implements of all sorts and the omnipresent decorative plates on the walls.
Asklipio Castle is well signed and the short road up to it is in good condition and paved. We parked under a tree in the small car park (by this stage the temperature was in the mid-thirties). A short climb up a precariously uneven staircase and we were inside the ruined walls of yet another castle of the knights. Access to the castle is open and free but it is in ruins, however, one can let one’s imagination run wild and the glories of the past are easily resurrected. It is a place that needs care to explore as it is easy to stumble over the uneven ground and have a nasty fall. Going up the ruined battlements (unguarded, with no safety barriers), it is easy to topple over and fall several tens of metres below. However, the view of the surrounding countryside and village is wonderful.
A dry river bed can be seen meandering its way to the coast and the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary looks pretty nestling in the centre of the small village below. Way in the distance the Rhodes coastline and the sapphire sea can be seen shimmering. Looking closer below, there is evidence of the lower floor of the castle, in better condition than the upper part from this vantage point, but this is not easily accessible at.
We made our way back to the car and were assailed by a bouquet of wonderful smells. The slightly acrid and bitter schinum reminiscent a little of resin, the wonderfully fresh odour of oregano and thyme growing wild and in bloom by the path and the refreshing delicate smell of dry grass and the few wild flowers still blooming – wild rock rose, mock sage and the last of the wild poppies.
Another couple of churches in the village are worth a look: The tiny church of Archangel Michael is at the foot of the village, down a very difficult track. From here there is a good view of the castle. Near this plain church is a small well-maintained cemetery that serves this little village community. Back on the road is Asklipio’s third church with some rather poorly restored frescoes inside it.
We decided that the day out and about had come to an end at Asklipio and took the road back to Rhodes. We returned to our hotel and after freshening up, we went for a stroll and a bite to eat. We found a very nice little restaurant and had some gyros and salad all washed down with some cold beer. Beer has become very popular in Greece as the summertime drink at mealtime. It is served ice-cold in the Australian fashion and it was good to see the frosty iced glasses arriving with the cold bottle.
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