Aikaterinh Balla Source: C.E.T.I. © Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace

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In the position of Mantal’ Panaghia, 3 km far from the settlement of Profitis Ilias and nearby the small chapel under the same name (Prophet Elias), an open-air sanctuary was found probably dedicated to the “Great Mother” as the mountain deity.

All the female figurines, fibulae, vessels and jewellery uncovered in the area were probably votive gifts that date from the 8th through the 2nd centuries BC.

The excavation works brought to light the remains of a rectangular room, still undated, as well as the ruins of a small single-aisled church dating back to the post-Byzantine times. East of the church’s arch, another arch from a larger church was traced, probably belonging to a small Early Christian basilica.