A small fortified cave opposite and east of the chapel of Agios Nikolaos, in the area of ​​Charamos, on the southeastern side of the prefecture of Argolis.

The area is semi-mountainous and falls under the Municipality of Epidaurus, almost on the border with the Municipality of Nafplio. The nearest village is Agios Nikolaos, which is located quite a distance, to the east, from the chapel of the same name and, according to the 2021 census, is now uninhabited. Administratively, it belongs to the Community of Adami, Municipality of Epidaurus.

The appropriate access to both the castle-cave and the chapel of Agios Nikolaos is from the south, through Kantia, Municipality of Nafplio.

As is usually the case with castle caves, the cave of Charamos is hidden on the slope of a hill. In this case, it is located on the upper part of the western slope of Kounouklorrachi, a relatively low hill with a maximum altitude of 346 meters. Opposite the cave, to the west and on the other side of the bed of a stream, is the chapel of Agios Nikolaos.

History

The history of this place is not known.

Monasteries and hermitages of this type, built in fortified caves, were established during the Post-Byzantine period in many parts of Greece –mainly in the Peloponnese– in the 17th and 18th centuries. They served not only as places of worship and ascetic life, but also as refuges for the local population. Many of them were at times used as hideouts by klephts and armatoloi, which explains their fortified character.

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