Swimming among the ancient ruins: Agios Stefanos

Agios Stefanos is a beautiful sandy beach on the south coast of the Greek island of Kos. This beach is in the bay of Kefalos, about 36 kilometers(22 miles) southwest of Kos town. It is a special beach because it lies next to the ruins of the 5th-century Agios Stefanos basilica. Exactly opposite of Agios Stefanos is the island of Kastri on which a striking white church with the blue dome of Agios Nikolaos stands. The beach well organized and all kinds of water sports are possible here. On the beach there is a canteen where you can order snacks and drinks. You can almost walk into the sea and down the entire coast of the island. On both sides of the basilica of Agios Stefanos you will see beautiful beaches.

The basilicas of Saint Stephen – Agios Stefanos

Located on a rocky spot just above the beach of Kamari, in southern Kos, the basilicas of Saint Stephen is a complex of two early Christian churches dating from the 6th and the 5th century BC. There is a larger church on the southern side of the rock and a smaller on the north. These two churches shared a baptistery and they connected to the neighboring islet of Kastri with a bridge that later destroyed by an earthquake. The basilica at the south three-aisled with two rows of columns, a semicircular vault on the east and a rectangular narthex on the west. This narthex had two entrances, while the church floor was covered with beautiful mosaics depicting birds. The basilica at the north also three-aisled but smaller in size. Between these two churches, there was a rectangular building that served as a baptistery for both of them. This ancient site excavated in 1932 by the Italian archaeologist Luciano Lorenzi. Excavations lasted from 1935 to 1943, while some Ionic columns also discovered on the shore.