Dormition of the Virgin, Ialysos

The parish church of Ialysos, which is dedicated to the Dormition of the Virgin (1756), is located in the center of the village, to the south of the central square. It is found only 10 kilometres from the city of Rhodes and celebrates on the 15th of August. The church is built in the type of a single-nave cruciform basilica with a narthex and a gynaiconite (lady chapel). It is decorated with frescoes and it has been recently restored. The wood-carved iconostasis of the church is very characteristic, since it is one of the best examples of the Ottoman Baroque style in the Dodecanese. Moreover, portable icons and ecclesiastical artefacts of great artistic value are kept in the church. During the period of the church celebration, multitudes of believers and visitors flock to honor the Virgin Mary. On the eve of the feast there is a procession of the Epitaph, while on the Dormition day, a litany of the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary is made. Furthermore, starting from the end of July, cultural events, the Ialysia, take place in the central square every year. The ancient acropolis of Ialysos is found on Mount Filerimos at a short distance to the south of the church. Towards the north, on the Ialysos-Paradisi road, there are several neoclassical houses, as the area in the late 19th – early 20th century served as a holiday district for the Rhodians.