Exaltation of the Holy Cross

The Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Apollona village, 53 km away from Rhodes Town, stands as the village’s central church, blending traditional Dodecanese architecture with centuries of religious history.

Built in 1858 over an older medieval church dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the Holy Cross Church is a single-nave basilica with a cross-vaulted roof and an entrance porch. Its five-storey bell tower is an impressive landmark, while the traditional pebble-paved courtyard features beautiful decorative patterns.

Just beyond the entrance, you will notice a carved wooden shrine that holds the miraculous icon of the Panagia Mikrasiatissa (Virgin Mary of Minor Asia). The walls are decorated with distinctive frescoes, including an icon of the Archangel Michael near the iconostasis.

The elaborate wooden iconostasis, created between 1858 and 1863, is decorated in the Ottoman Baroque style and features rare icons. Among them, the silver-covered icon of Christ, dating from 1772, is particularly noteworthy.

The Apollona Church Museum, located in the courtyard, preserves several important religious treasures. One of the most remarkable is a wooden cross dating from the 10th–11th century, containing a small piece of the True Cross. For security, it is kept in a hidden chamber and is displayed for veneration only three times a year: on 14 September, Epiphany and the Sunday of the Veneration of the Cross.

Another important treasure is the Apollona Codex, a 12th-century manuscript containing Gospel readings. The museum also preserves a rare double-sided 17th-century icon of the Panagia Karyonitissa and the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. Its silver covering bears the coat of arms of Grand Master Pierre d’Aubusson.

Feast and Panygiri of the Holy Cross in Apollona

The church celebrates its feast day on 14 September. On the evening of 13 September, a traditional festival is held in Apollona village square, bringing together locals and visitors for an evening of community and tradition.