Places
The church of Ioannis Xenos (Falassarna)
This is a two-aisled church dedicated to Osios Ioannis and St. Eustathios, near ancient Falassarna. It was the hermitage of Osios Ioannis Xenos during the 11th century and part of it is within a cave. The mural decoration dates to the period between the 11th and the 14th century and tells the life story of […]
The church of Saint Barbara (Agia Varvara) (Boulgaro)
In the village of Boulgaro there is the ruined church of Saint Barbara, which probably used to be the Catholicon church of a monastery. It is a cruciform, ‘cross-in-a-square’ church with a cupola and a narthex that was added at a later age, which underwent various architectural changes during the period of Venetian. The church […]
The Church of Archangel Michael (Michail Archangelos) (Episcope)
This early Christian church dating from the second half of the 6th century, situated outside Kato Episcope, near Kissamos, is one of the most important monuments of Crete from the early Christian period. The church is of great value, from both an architectural and an icon painting perspective. Architecturally, it is a periaptic (pericentric) rectangular […]
The Cave of St. John the Hermit (Spileo Agiou Ioanni tou Erimiti) (Marathokefala)
The Cave of St. John the Hermit is situated near Marathokefala, a little higher than the bed of Avlaki gorge. It is richly decorated with numerous stalactites and stalagmites. This is where St. John the Hermit, the founder of the Catholicon Monastery lived for three years. He led an ascetic life in the nude for […]
Chrysoskalitissa (of the Golden step) Monastery
The Monastery of Chrysoskalitissa is built on a rock at the south-west end of Crete. The church of the monastery is dedicated to Mother Mary and the Holy Trinity and its feast is held on August 15 (Dekapendavgoustos). The Monastery was built during Venetian rule on the site of St. Nicholas monastery and, according to […]
Gonia Monastery
It is situated near the village of Kolymbari and it is one of the best preserved monasteries on Crete; it looks like a fort and has a three apse Catholicon church and two chapels. The initial donor (ktetor) was Brother Vlassios, a monk from Cyprus, who, according to tradition, started building the Monastery on a […]
