Cavernous Nymphaeum

The Cavernous Nymphaeum is a rock-cut shrine built into the hillside of Monte Smith in Rhodes. Its most striking feature is a semicircular wall carved directly from the living rock, featuring three small niches that once held statues of water nymphs. Ancient Greeks constructed these shrines at natural springs to offer sacrifices to the spirits of the water. Centuries ago, a sculptor left a series of small, precisely carved steps inside the grotto, allowing visitors to reach the higher reaches of the stone alcoves.