The god Apollo was the patron deity of Kalymnos and his temple was the most important ancient site on the island - its religious, ceremonial and civic heart.

The temple is no longer standing but you can still see:The site of the sanctuary with masonry from the temple - in Panormos, close to the west coast of Kalymnos Columns and inscriptions from the temple built into the church of Panayeia (the Virgin Mary) in Chora village.

In the 8th or 7th century BC Kalymnians first dedicated a sanctuary to Kalydnios Apollo (Kalydna was the ancient name for Kalymnos). Originally a peaceful grove of trees, the sanctuary became a walled area with running water, cultivated herbs and an open-air altar.

Here, people performed purification, sacrifice, ceremony and prayer - the rituals of Apollo’s cult - to communicate with the god. They would express gratitude and seek favours. These included good health through Apollo's healing power of light, sometimes sought through dreams.

During the Archaic period, a marble temple to Apollo was built in the sanctuary. Its architectural style was Ionian - they were the people of Asia Minor - and it looked rather like a miniature Parthenon with a pediment supported by a double row of columns and solid walls on the other three sides.

Statues and figurines would be placed in the sanctuary complex as votive offerings and there was also a theatre, gymnasium, civic centre and law court. Public notices were inscribed on tablets of stone and displayed there.

There is evidence that people from all over the Greek world visited the temple of Apollo on Kalymnos.
 
After the temple had been destroyed by Christians, its marble columns, inscription stones and smashed statues were crudely recycled to build a three-aisle basilica with a pitched wooden roof, the Church of Christ in Jerusalem. The apse of this church can still be seen.

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