SAINT SILAS (SOULAS)

Information

The temple is in a valley of verdant high pine trees, four kilometers south of the village Soroni, at the west road axis of the island. It is constructed in the name of Saint Silas, the inseparable co-traveller of Apostle Paul, and it is not known when it was built. On the upper part of the entrance there is an anaglyph cross, with the date 1836 inscribed on it.
Folk tradition places its construction during the first Christian centuries (100 to 150 AD), when Apostle Paul came to Rhodes in order to spread Christianity, accompanied by Saint Silas, a dermatologist. When Saint Silas arrived at the current position of Saint Soulas, close to which there was a settlement with a sacred altar, began to preach the teachings of Jesus Christ, teaching and baptizing in the name of the Christ. He appointed priests and preachers of the new religion, he cured many patients of the surrounding settlements, and he returned to Lindos, where he met with Apostle Paul.
Inside the temple, and across the entrance, on the north side, there is a water spring inside an artificial cave. The holy water makes miracles by curing various skin diseases. In 1931 the Italian General Commander of the Dodecanese Mario Lago constructed a subterranean cistern to collect water, and a tap, while he also constructed a horse race track, to brighten the local feast, which is still held today.