A strange place a few kilometres from the mountain village of Topolia: a large cave overlooking a deep gorge and housing a small chapel. It has a magical atmosphere, provided you visit when it’s not too crowded.

The place is quite touristy; coaches often unload hordes of visitors there, no doubt drawn by the legends surrounding the cave.

The chapel stands on the spot where an icon of Saint Sophia was discovered, which is said to have been brought back by Cretan soldiers following the fall of Constantinople.

A stony path winds its way around the cave, allowing visitors to admire the spectacular stalagmites, but it is advisable to bring a torch, as some sections are extremely dark.

It is the only place in the world where the Pholcus creticus spider lives, which may explain why the path is so poorly lit… unless it’s down to negligence or a lack of funding!

This darkness inevitably caused us some problems when creating a virtual tour, but we were still able to shoot a series of panoramas that give an idea of the magic of the place.

Please note: the path down to the cave is very steep, with over 250 steps to climb, but you won’t regret the effort and, on your way back down, you can catch your breath and have a drink at the tavern just off the path.

Useful links

Incredible Crete (The official tourism website of Crete) - Wikipedia