From Siteia to Ziros and Moni Kapsa SEE ALL AVAILABLE ROUTES
Setting off from the village Sfaka, where we will visit the churches of Agia Triada-Koimisi tis Theotokou and Timios Stavros, we will head east to Faneromeni Monastery at Trahilas, in the region of Skopi.
In Siteia, we will visit the Church of Agia Ekaterini and continue east to the famed Panagia Akrotiriani and Agios Ioannis Theologos Monastery at Toplou.
To the south of Siteia, the route takes us through Piskokefalo, which is home to the Church of Agios Georgios, and on to Kato Episkopi and Pano Episkopi, where we can visit the Church of Agioi Apostoloi and the Church of Genessio tis Theotokou and Timios Prodromos, respectively.
From the village of Papayiannades, where the mural-adorned Church of Panagia Eleousa (Timias Zonis) and Agios Haralampos is located, we head east and come across the traditional Venetian hamlet that is home to the churches of Agia Ekaterini – Genessio tis Theotokou and Timios Prodromos, before continuing on to Armenoi, home to the churches of Agios Georgios and Koimisi tis Theotokou, as well as Agia Sophia Monastery.
In the village of Chandra, we will visit the mural-adorned Church of Metamorfosi tou Christou, located in Panteli, and the Church of Agios Georgios and Agios Ioannis Theologos, located in the abandoned hamlet of Voila.
In Ziros, a hamlet located on the plateau of the same name, we will see the murals that decorate the churches of Agia Paraskevi and Agios Nikolaos, situated within the hamlet, and the churches of Genessio Panagias, Agios Athanassios and Mihail Archangelos, outside the hamlet’s borders.
We will continue to the small hamlet of Adromyloi, where we will visit the Church of Agioi Apostoloi, before the route leads us to the coast, to the mouth of Perivolakia Gorge, where Kapsa Monastery is located. Further west, we will visit the Church of Agios Antonios in Koutsouras.
Church of Agios Antonios (Koutsouras)
The murals of this tiny arch-covered church have not been preserved well. Among the images that remain visible are scenes from the Christological cycle, the images of saints and a rare depiction of the Virgin Mary presenting Christ to John the Baptist as a pupil.
Saint George at Voila
The twin-naved church, dedicated to St. George and to St. John is located southeast of the settlement of Chandras and next to the ruined settlement of Voilas which is dominated by the magnificent medieval tower. The architectural type of the church has emerged as a result of the successive interpolations to the original, single-nave church, […]
Agia Ekaterini and Genessio tis Theotokou (St. Catherine & Nativity of Mary) (Armenoi)
The church of Saint Catherine is located in the abandoned village of Etia, close to the impressive Venetian mansion Dei Mezzo. It is a two-aisled church dedicated to Saint Catherine and the Virgin Mary. The original aisle was adorned with murals. The church’s architecture and sophisticated decorative elements betray Renaissance influence, and its relief-decorated belfry […]
Koimisi tis Theotokou (Dormition of Mother Mary) (Armenoi)
The originally arch-covered church was later expanded with the addition of a narthex. The remarkable icons in its chancel screen date back to the 18th and 19th century.
Agios Georgios (St. George) (Armenoi)
A single-space arch-covered church, Saint George was subsequently expanded with a narthex. The church was likely built during the late Byzantine era. Its murals date back to the 14th and 15th centuries and depict scenes from the Christological cycle.
Church of Panagia Eleousa (Our Lady of Mercy) and Agios Haralampos (St. Charalampus) (Papayiannades)
This is actually a complex comprising two churches that have been joined into one. The church of the Virgin Mary was built first, and was later joined to the church of Saint Charalampus, to its south, with a transverse arch. Notable murals, dating back to 1363, still survive in the church of the Virgin Mary.
Church of Genessio tis Theotokou (Nativity of Mary), Timios Prodromos (St. John the Baptist) and Agios Georgios (St. George) (Epano Episkopi)
A large, three-aisled dome-roofed basilica, this church was likely built on the site of an Early Christian basilica. The nave is dedicated to the Nativity of Mary, and the aisles are dedicated to Saint John the Baptist and Saint George.
Holy Apostles at Kato Episkopi
The church of the Holy Apostles on the western boundaries of the small settlement of Kato [Lower] Episkopi, where the seat of the Diocese of Siteia may have been transferred during the second Byzantine period, is a tripartite building with a dome. The central, larger space is covered by an octagonal dome, which rests on […]
Agios Georgios (St. George) (Piskokefalo)
Construction of this single-space arch-covered church was completed in 1862; the belfry is a later addition. This church differs from others in that it features a Π-shaped wooden gallery that can be accessed via a staircase on the building’s exterior.
Agia Ekaterini (St. Catherine) (Siteia)
Even though the church dedicated to Saint Catherine appears to be relatively new—since it was rebuilt in the early 19th century—we can confidently identify its location as the site of the earlier Santa Caterina church of the Augustinians. Its first belfry, on its south-western side, was constructed in 1938. The Bema was expanded with two […]
Agias Triados and Panagias (Holy Trinity & Mother Mary) Church (Sfaka)
This two-aisled church bears the date “2 March 1643”. The ornate wood-carved chancel screens of its two aisles were crafted during 1845 – 1849.
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 […]
