Kos - Church of the Lamb of God (Agnus Dei)
The Chapel of the Holy Cross in Kos is the Catholic church for the town and the isle of Kos. The Franciscan fathers from Rhodes celebrate the Holy Mass here periodically during Holidays.
The chapel is in the area of the Catholic cemetery, also attended to by the Franciscan fathers of the Custody of the Holy Land serving at the Archdiocese in Rhodes. The Chapel is part of the Agnus Dei Parish, which once was the Latin church of the isle and today is used by the Greek Orthodox Church.
Historical Data
The decree of November 7, 1928 announced some expropriations for public purposes to build the Catholic cemetery in the area next to the Orthodox one. Only in November 1935, the cemetery of Kos (Coo) was blessed, and it also hosts the mortal remains of Italian soldiers.
At the centre of the area, there is a chapel planned by Petracco. The avenue with cypress trees on the sides leads to the entry portal and ends in axis with the circular chapel. The vertical granite portal is decorated with crosses and ritual symbols in golden brass.
The small church body is a cylinder plastered in white with two narrow projecting parts on the outside – the entry with a straining arch on the front and the niche of the altar at the back - in rustic stone. Wide windows give light to the interior, and the airy circular space is very suggestive, with light and shadow accents, like the monumental cross on the altar, standing out against the light coming from the window at its back.
The main feature of the church is the axial perspective, which underlines the vertical elevation, typical of the XX century, of the entry, solemnly highlighted by the cypress trees.
Holy Masses:
Sunday 11:00
