Cave of Davelis

Cave of Davelis

The Cave of Davelis, or the "Penteli Cave", is located on the south-western slope of the Pendeli Mountain, situated 15 km northeast of Athens. It owes its name to Davelis, a 19th Century bandit who used the cave as his hideout.

At the entrance of the cave stands a double Byzantine church, built directly into the rock, dating back to the 11th Century A.D., dedicated to Saint Spyridon and Saint Nicolas.

At 720 m height, the cave is located in an ancient, white Pentelic marble quarry to the north of the Monastery of Penteli and was discovered during works for the extraction of marble. Inside the cave, there is a dense network of subterranean tunnels, one of which leads to a small pond where evidence of a shrine to goat-footed god Pan was found. Many artifacts excavated from the Davelis den depict Pan and his nymphs and are on display in the Archaeological Museum of Athens. The cave is 112 meters in length and around 40 meters in diameter.

The Mount Pentelic is famous for the marble extracted from its quarries that built the Acropolis. It is also well known for forming a strong geomagnetic field, which is the source of many strange activities. There is a strong belief that the cave has been the place of paranormal phenomena or even extraterrestrial sightings.


In the 1980s, the government plans to build a military base on that spot suddenly closed off all access to the public and started construction to expand existing natural tunnels. The purpose of the works was never made clear, but it was rumored that NATO was at the helm but suddenly ceased a few years later in 1983. Even today, rumors and the mystical character of the cave continue to fascinate paranormal enthusiasts and followers of the occult, however, no definitive proof of any metaphysical movement in or around the cave exists. There are no public means of transport reaching the cavern, which is one hour away on foot from Agia Triada Church in Penteli. There is no admission fee.