cavernous church
Panagia (Mother Mary) of Detis (milliarado)
South of Embaros, on a hillside called ‘Detis’ by the locals, lies the pilgrimage of Panagia. It is a small cavernous church built in a crack within the rock, where, according to tradition, the icon of the Virgin Mary that left the church of ‘Kato Kera’ in order to escape the Ottomans is located.
Agios Nikitas (St. Nicetas) (Achentrias)
The holy pilgrimage of Agios Nikitas, located on the eastern side of the Asteroussia mountain range, near a small palm forest, is a cavernous church dedicated to Saint Nicetas that dates back to the 17th century. Agios Nikitas, where few murals survive, was initially a hermitage for the monks of Koudoumas Monastery. Subsequently, from 1948 […]
Avvakospilio
West of Koudoumas Monastery lies Avvakospilio, a cavernous church where, according to tradition, Ossios Kosmas lived as an ascetic during the 7th century and where his remains were buried.
Panagia Spileotissa (Virgin Mary of the Cave) Monastery
The Monastery of the Virgin Mary of the Cave is located on the hillside of a small canyon north of Houdetsi and is a glebe of Sina Monastery. The Monastery was founded in the 14th century and is built on three levels. The top level includes the Church of the True Cross and another church […]
Agios Nikolaos (St. Nicholas) (Argyropoulis)
A church within a cave at Chostos, on the banks of Mousselas river. It contains some of the few surviving murals dating back to the 14th century.
Agiou Ioanni tou Erimiti (St. John the Hermit) Monastery (Catholicon)
The visit to Guverneto offers travellers the opportunity to view two interesting Christian monuments in the area. North of the monastery a stony downhill path leads to the Cave of Arkoudiotissa (Bear Lady). The name comes from a stalagmite in the form of a bear and within the cave traces of Goddess Artemis [Diana] worship […]
Holy Monastery of Kapsas
The monastery of Kapsas is located in the southerneast corner of Crete, on the west side of the exit from the gorge of Pervolakia towards the sea. Even though the date of its foundation is unknown to us, the existence of wall painting decoration, possibly of the 13th–14th centuries, in the aisle of St. John […]
The Cave of God’s Wisdom (Spileo tis Theou Sophias) (Koutsomatado – Topolia)
The small church of St. Sophia is situated in the cave of the same name, on the west bank of Topolia Gorge, and comprises two halls on two levels.
The church of St. Photius (Agios Photios) & St. Anicetus (Agios Anikitos) (Falassarna)
Near the church of St. Ioannis Xenos, there is a cave church dedicated to St. Photius and Anikitos. This cave church, offering a wonderful vista of the area, has been altered many times and its foundation is attributed to Ioannis Xenos himself.
