The Prophet Elijah’s Church

In the area of Prophet Elijah there were traces of a church of the early Byzantine period.

In the period 1940 – 45 the residents of Koufonissi collected money for the restoration of the church. The money was not enough. Two residents of the island undertook to invest it in the Dodecanese to complete the amount. But their traces disappeared and so the incident was described as a bad omen for those who want the restoration of the church.

Το 1972 the priests Stathis, Yannis Roumeliotis and Katie Ioannou, sister of the then rural doctor, undertake the cleaning of the area. In their effort they discover 2 columns and a piece of marble of a Byzantine church. Their first thought was to use them for the construction of the Holy Bank.
The next year 1973 in the ongoing maintenance work they are digging up stones of the Byzantine church and creating a wall where they support the icon of Prophet Elijah and his candle. In the same year, on the afternoon of the day of Prophet Elijah, July 20, the residents of Koufonissi, hikers, arrive at the half-built church, where they held Vespers and the Eucharist.

Το 1974 by the decision of the Protosyngelos Father Koronelos, deputy of the Metropolitan of Santorini Gabriel, the service in the ruins of the Prophet Elias is forbidden, because it is not a church.

Today there are the ruins of the temple, with the icon of Prophet Elijah, its candle, and the Holy Altar in operation with the care of the Faithful.

On the day of Prophet Elijah, July 20 the faithful gather in the chapel, and Vespers is served. Refreshments and water are offered.The land where the chapel is located is private, but the entrance is free.