<The Byzantine church of Rotonda on Crete
The Byzantine church of Rotonda or the Church of the Archangel Michael is situated close to the village of Episkopi in the west of Crete.
The church has the only 5 concentric ring stepped dome on Crete. The design is so rare in Byzantine terms that only the church of Agios Nikolaos in Thessaloniki is similar.
It is believed that the church was originally built during Crete's first Byzantine period in the 6th Century and then either rebuilt or additions added in the 10th Century when it was the seat of the Bishop of Kissamos. Sections of the mosaic floor date back to the 5th Century A.D. while different layers of frescoes date from the 9th to the 11th Century.
The church of Rotonda can be hard to find if you come from the south on the route Vasilopoulo - Episkopi - Drakona. At the end of the village of Episkopi (after driving through it) there is an exit on the left hand side and about 1 kilometer further on the left hand side there is another one. You will not see the signs because they are placed in a way that you will only see them when you come from the north from the direction of Kolimbari. I made a small map to point out where the roads are that lead to Rotonda (I made these roads green see the thumbnail above on the left and click on it for an enlargement).