Places
Churches at Kantanos
Kantanos flourished in the Hellenistic and Roman times as well as during the first Byzantine period, when it seemed to have played an important role, since it was the See of the Bishop who attended the Council of Chalkedon (Synod of Chalki) in 451. The long religious tradition of the territory is evidenced by traces […]
Holy Monastery of the All – Holy Virgin Vryomeni [‘The Abundant’] at Meseleroi
Even though the exact date of the foundation of the monastery is unknown, its function is witnessed already from the 16th century while the catholicon of the early 15th century shows the use of the space from the late Byzantine period. The monastery is built on a rocky outcrop, east of the settlement of Meseleroi, […]
Vayionea Convent
Abandoned at present, Vayionea Convent was founded in the late 14th century by the scholar Nilos Damilas. The only surviving structure is the catholicon, a single-space arch-covered church with a conical dome, the north side of which abuts the rock.
Christ the Saviour of Pano Karkasa
The church of the Saviour Christ, entirely covered in wall paintings, that is located to the southwest of the village of Anatoli at a distance of around five kilometres, was the catholicon of a male monastery. Its location in the immediate vicinity of the Monastery of the Holy Apostles as well as the fact that […]
Agioi Pantes (All Saints) Agiasmenou (Sanctified) Convent
Agiasmenou Convent is dedicated to All Saints. In the late 19th century, it served as a retreat for the Bishop of Ierapytni and Siteia. Following restoration, it currently functions as a convent.
Holy Apostles at Kato Karkasa
The church of the Holy Apostles which is located to the south of the settlement of Anatoli was the catholicon of a small, female monastic complex, from which very few ruins survive to the south of the church. The monastery of Karkasia, as it is referred to in the sources of the end of the […]
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 […]
Agia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) Monastery
Abandoned at present, the monastery was established before the 17th century and appears to have had a fortress-like design. Its catholicon stands at the centre of the courtyard and is a single-space arch-covered church. Between 1900 and 1911, it served as a glebe of Toplou Monastery.
Panagia Faneromeni (Our Lady Revealed) Monastery
Built just inside Agioi Pantes (All Saints) Canyon on Cape Trachilas, the monastery has exquisite views of the sea. Particularly noteworthy are the caves that riddle the canyon and which were once used by the monastery’s hermits. The monastery was founded in the 13th century and was renovated in 1620. Between 1870 and 1901 it […]
Holy Monastery of Toplou
The monastery of Toplou or the Akrotiriani [All-Holy Virgin of the Cape], as it is called due to its position in the eastern corner of Crete, is one of the most renowned and important monasteries of the island. Its establishment probably dates to the late 14th century, a period during which the original catholicon was […]
