The village of Asklipieio or Asklipio, the Dormition of the Virgin church and the Asklipieio fortress on Rhodos

The village of Asklipieio is situated about 65 kilometers distance from the capital of Rhodes Town on the east side of the island. From the main road it is a 4 kilometers inland journey. It is named after a temple that once stood in this place and that in all probability was dedicated to Asklipios (the god of healing art / medicine). Asklipieio is in my opinion one of the nicest villages of Rhodes. The village consists mainly of old traditional Greek white houses built around the church. This Byzantine Dormition of the Vigin church of which the oldest part dates back to 1060 has beautiful frescoes inside. The entrance to the church is via the adjacent Folklore Museum (entrance fee 1 euro in 2016) and a visit is really worthwhile. I think that in terms of murals it has to be one of the most beautiful churches that I have seen over the past 20 years. The museum is housed in an old building which was formerly used as an olive press. Here you can see a number of religious objects, old icons, pieces of an ancient basilica and utensils from agriculture and olive oil factories. The museum itself is not very big but it is nice to walk through it. In the there village are a number of restaurants and a few shops.

The Asklipieio castle lies just above the village and is accessible on foot via a path in about 10 minutes. It dates from the 13th century and was built by the Knights of St. John. From the castle there is a magnificent view of the sea and much of the east coast of Rhodes. The entrance is free. A viewing of the village of Asklipio can optionally be combined with a visit to a nearby beach, such as Kiotari or Gennadi.