Kounos is built at an altitude of 180 metres and has 115 permanent residents. It is recognised as a traditional settlement and is 78 km from Sparta. It is located above Cape Grosso and stands out for its stone houses, towers and tower houses. Its name comes from a conical pile of stones (of unknown time) found on the west side of the settlement. Kounos was first mentioned in 1571 by Venetian Envoy Barbo, who mentioned Georgios Gerakaris-Kontostavlos as the prominent of the settlement.
Visitors here can admire Papadogonas' and Tragaroulianis' castle houses, as well as Dikaiopoulos' five-storey tower. Also, there is a simple monument on a marble slab dedicated to the fallen soldiers in the settlement.
At Kounos, there are several important Byzantine and Post-Byzantine churches, as well as chapels with unique frescoes. Agios Nikolaos church (in the small square) is the parish church of the settlement and was built in 1899. Only a few parts survive from the older frescoes, while newer ones have replaced the iconostasis icons. At the settlement entrance, the small Byzantine church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is also important. The murals, for the most part, have been preserved. Near the entrance, the visitor can see the old bell of the temple with the 1831 date relief under the representation of the Crucified Jesus. Externally (at the entrance door), the church has built-in, marble pieces of unknown origin on the walls.
Agios Ioannis church is located in a small "inner", cobbled square. It is a Post-Byzantine church, for the construction of which materials from an older and much larger church were used. In fact, the large marble walls that can be seen on the exterior walls have an excellent embossed decoration. The temple operates occasionally. Finally, the visitor to Kounos can see the "Pentakia" or churches of the Five Saints, which date back to the 11th century. These are cemetery churches inside the cemetery area. As their name suggests, initially, there were five, while today, only two survive. Unfortunately, these two temples are handed over to the wear and tear of time and weather conditions, destroying both the buildings themselves as well as their murals, which are a folk painter’s works of art.
