The town of Pyli, Kos

The ancient city of Pyli (Greek: Παλιό Πύλι) was the capital of the island of Kos in the Byzantine era .

From the main road from Kos, we must turn to the left a small road that climbs toward the mountain. 2 km before reaching Pyli, there is a small pond near Linopotis, which is used to irrigate crops in the plains. At about 3-4 km south-east are the ruins of Paleo Pyli .

You can also reach Pyli since Asfendiou , a small road through the countryside to Lagoudi and continues to Amaniou, where there is a branch to Paleo Pyli.

Since Pyli, you can go by bus to Marmari , about 4 km south, which has a wide sandy beach very enjoyable.

The water source is fed by Pyli channels to neighboring land, the source also supplies drinking water to the towns on the island, especially the town of Kardamena .

The tomb is a monument rectangular, covered with a barrel vault, with, in each side wall, six niches that were filled with large stones: these twelve arched niches are the graves of Charmylos, his family and descendants. The front of the monument was covered with white marble, a fragment of which is in the Church of the Holy Cross was built over the grave. On the facade of the church, an inscription indicates that the memorial is dedicated to Charmylos and twelve gods of Olympus.

You can also reach Paleo Pyli coming to Asfendiou and Zia : Zia exiting, turn left and follow the signs for Pyli, just before the village of Pyli a road on the left leads to the extensive ruins of the medieval village; well-marked path leads beyond the remains of houses and up to the castle perched atop boulders.

Paleo Pyli was the capital of the island of Kos in the Byzantine Empire . It remains meager ruins including the remains of the village and castle ruins Peripatos, three chapels, frescoes fragments which remain, are being restored, the oldest dating from the eleventh century.

The village was abandoned in 1830 following an outbreak of cholera.

The fortress was built in several phases, according to a roughly rectangular shape that followed the rock, the castle was like a continuation of the steep rock and barely discernable from the sea

When the island of Kos was conquered by the Knights Hospitaller of St. John in the early fourteenth century, the castle was restored and strengthened to ensure the defense of the region. In the building structure, we recognize the influence of the Knights of St. John : the fortress has three speakers, external enclosure is rectangular. Peripatos became one of the key fortresses of the Order of St. John Kos.

The castle Paleo Pyli offers an exceptional panorama on the northern slope of Mount Oromedon and on the north coast of the island of Kos, with Marmari and saltmarsh Alykes , then off the islands of Kalymnos and Pserimos, and the west coast of Asia Minor, which is on the horizon, with the Bodrum peninsula .

There picnic niquera happily admiring the scenery. Perhaps one of the Hermann tortoises eastern subspecies (ssp boettgeri Testudo hermanni) attending the site she invite to the feast ...

The monastery church was dedicated to St. Mary, but today is dedicated to Our Lady of the Presentation (Panagia Ypapanti,Παναγία Υπαπαντή), the Presentation of Christ in the Temple.

The Church of Panagia Ypapanti is a single-nave church, it retains vestiges of hagiographic murals of the fourteenth century, a wonderful wooden carved icon and ancient columns taken from the Greek temple of Demeter who was nearby.

It is a church with a single nave, the roof of the church has a mural of the sixteenth century which represents a sermon of St. Anthony; tombs were discovered inside.

The eastern part of the main building dates from the Byzantine period, the church was enlarged westward during the period of the Knights, by adding a high room and a rectangular narthex was added later when a tomb was discovered . The church has two entrances on the west side and two rectangular windows. Outside the south, are the remains of a graceful arc of a Latin type usually seen on Rhodes or Cyprus.

The church has frescoes Taxiarches fairly well preserved dating from the fourteenth to the sixteenth century, especially scenes from the life of Christ, including a beautiful "Betrayal of Christ by Judas" on the north arch.

The temple of Demeter was excavated in 1929, seven statues representing Demeter and her daughter Persephone were discovered, and a statue of Hades and the base of another statue, these pieces are exhibited at archaeological museum Kos .