The Section below the Church of Christos Elkomenos

If we go back up the street from the "Portello", turn right at the first opportunity, and then turn left through an archway we will come to one of the most beautiful gardens of Monemvasia. After having passed the archway, to the right we see the upper story of the adjoining house leading down into this garden. A large pine tree and a fig tree shade the garden, and old flower pots show that someone once took great pains here to create an idyllic little nook. Now, however, the garden has completely gone to seed. Going around the block to the left with the small hotel, we return to the street that leads down to the "Portello." On the left side of this street, before an archway, the corbeling of a chimney support decorated with Turkish ornamentation projects from the wall. If we bear to the right past the archway we arrive at the garden of the house which has the second balcony over the path along the south wall. This house is visible from the point where we turned off to go down to the "Portello."

Numerous old cannon balls lie about in this garden; they were found during the excavation of the ruins and of the garden. These excavations uncovered the remains of a Byzantine church that today lies far below the level of the street. A roof now protects the precious marble mosaics of the floor. The parapet slab of an iconostasis, which was found in this church, is now to be seen in the archaeological collection in the former dşami. In order to see these interesting remains it is necessary to go through the private garden, down into the church.

At the level of the garden there is a street that leads uphill. Within the block of buildings on the left hand side of the street are the remains of a Turkish hammam (bath house). Only one of the cupolated warm and cold baths still stands. Glass pots are built into the cupola for lighting. This makes the cupola much lighter than it would be if it were built entirely out of stone. There is no path leading to the baths. If we follow the street uphill, we come to a crossing; here, to the left, a house is built over the street. The next passage follows just past this house, and belongs to a large hall church, the entrance of which is to the right of the passage on the street.

Across from the passage we can see the residence of the historian Kalogeras. In his memory a plaque has been placed above the door closed with a round arch. If we go downhill from this point we come to a square (Dothe Tapia) bordered by the south wall.