From Thronos to Agia Galin to Spili SEE ALL AVAILABLE ROUTES
Setting out from Rethymnon, the trip takes us to the beautiful valley of the Rivers [Koilada ton Potamon], where there is the Dam of the same name and the magnificent Patsos Gorge; at the southern entrance to the gorge visitors can find the cave Church of St. Anthony.
In the village of Patsos there is the Church of the Nativity of Mother Mary (Gennisis tis Theotokou] and at the village of Pantanassa the churches of the Holy Trinity (Agia Triada) and of St. John the Divine (Theologos).
Passing through the quaint village of Apostoloi, the road arrives at Thronos, where the Basilica of the ancient city of Syvritos and the Church of the Dormition [Koimisis tis Theotokou] stand.
Travelling south the road reaches the village of Meron with the old Church of the Dormition [Koimisis tis Theotokou] and the village of Gerakari with the Church of St. John the Divine (Theologos).
At Nefs Amari, the old capital of Amari province, stand the churches of St. Anne and St. Theodoroi, before arriving at the Monastery of Asomatoi (Moni Asomaton)(the Gathering of the Angels).
Travelling east, at Platania, there is the Church of the Dormition [Koimisis tis Theotokou] and further on, at Vyzari are the ruins of the Early Christian Basilica and the Church of St. Nicholas.
At Fourfouras, the largest hamlet of Amari, there is the old Monastery of Mother Mary (Palaia Moni Panagias) and the Church of St. George.
The provincial road goes through Apodoulos, with the Church of St. George the Sword Bearer (Agios Georgios Xiphiphoros), and leads to the coastal hamlet of Agia Galini before climbing up to Melambes, where the Church of St. Paraskevi stands.
In the plain of Kissos you will find the Church of St. John the Divine (Theologos), as well as the Holy Spirit Monastery [Moni Agiou Pnevmatos], before continuing to Spili, the Holy Metropolis See of Lambi, Syvritos and Sfakia.
On the way back to Rethymnon, one can go through the picturesque village of Lambini, where there is the Church of Mother Mary (Panagia) with excellent Byzantine icons.
Agios Antonios (St. Anthony) (Patsos)
The church is built within a rock, in the lush green of the gorge of St. Anthony. It is accessible through a well-kept path and can be reached after a brief walk. This exceptional church contains numerous portable icons and a wealth of votive offerings of various types.
Theotokou (Mother Mary) Church (Patsos)
The church dedicated to the Nativity of Mother Mary is an ordinary four-pillar in the square church with a cupola. Although it is in ruins, its walls are still standing. It was built in two phases. The first one dates back to the 11th or 12th century and its extensive reconstruction to the 14th century. […]
Church of the Agia Triada (Holy Trinity) & Agios Ioannis Theologos (St. John the Divine) (Pantanassa)
A two-aisled church; according to its inscription, it was built in 1645 by Priest Manolis Vlastos. There are special Gothic-style doors and a domed tomb dating from 1594.
The Basilica of Syvritos (Thronos)
The ruins of this early Christian basilica were discovered in 1983. It is a three-aisled church with a wooden roof and narthex, divided in three parts. The south aisle is from the 6th century and the east part from the 14th century. Mosaic floors are preserved in the church interior.
Koimisi tis Theotokou (Dormition of Mother Mary) Church (Thronos)
This is a one-aisle, tile-roofed church of the 14th century, built on the ruins of an older Metropolitan church. The coats of arms of the Kallergis’ family are also found in this church, which means that it probably belonged to them. The murals dating from the 13th and 14th centuries include an impressive enthroned Madonna […]
Koimisi tis Theotokou (Dormition of Mother Mary) Church (Meron)
The Dormition church is a three-aisled basilica built oveer three periods. The initial construct dates to the 14th century, judging from the decoration, and the extension dates back to the 16th century. The three aisles are dedicated to St. George, St. Paul & St.Peter and Mother Mary. Besides the beautiful murals in the central and […]
Agios Ioannis o Theologos (St. John the Divine) (Gerakari)
A little outside Gerakari, at ‘Photis’ location, there is a Church of St. John; it is one-aisled and tile-roofed and was built in the 12th or the13th century. A narthex with a cupola was added to the only aisle. The murals are well-preserved and they date back to the 13th century.
Agia Anna (St. Anne) (Nefs Amari)
This church has the oldest dated Byzantine murals on Crete; they were made in 1225, and the donor’s inscription of the church bears the year 1196. It is a one-aisled church with arches.
Asomaton (Gathering of the Angels) Monastery
The Monastery of Asomatoi is dedicated to the Gathering of the Angels. It was built in the 2nd Byzantine period in the style of a fortress. At the end of the 18th century it was the seat of the Bishop of Lambi. Initially the catholicon (main church) was a one-aisled, arch-roofed church; however, in the […]
Panagias (Mother Mary) Monastery (Fourfouras)
At the Leivada location, southeast of Fourfouras, there are ruins of the Monastery of Mother Mary (Moni Panagias), which is also known as Panagia sti Leivada (Mother Mary on the Meadow). The only thing preserved from the monastery is a small, arch-roofed, one-aisle church, within which some murals dating back to 1400 have been preserved. […]
Agios Georgios (St. George) (Fourfouras)
St. George stands at the Mourtzes or Mourtza location, southeast of the village. It is a one-aisled, arch-roofed church, built on the ruins of an older church, and it dates from the 15th century. The murals are preserved in good condition and originated in the first half of the 15th century.
Agios Georgios Xiphophoros (St. George the Sword-bearer) (Apodoulos)
A 13th century church; According to its inscription, it was the catholicon (main church) of the monastery. It is a one-aisled basilica with numerous murals. In the north part of the church the depiction of St. George holding a sword stands out.
Agia Paraskevi (St. Paraskevi) (Melambes)
A small 14th century basilica with murals painted in two phases. A huge plane tree shades the church and there is a fountain in the yard. A large annual festival is held here on July 16.
Agios Ioannis Theologos (St. John the Divine) (Kissos)
A one-aisled, tile covered church without windows, possibly erected in the 14th century. The church is covered by two layers of murals preserved in very good condition and the wooden iconostasis was made in 1935.
Agiou Pnevmatos (Holy Spirit) Monastery (Kissos)
This monastery was established in the late Byzantine period and only the small two-aisled church with a narthex has been preserved. Several documents from the 1635-1650 period refer to the monastery, which was probably at its prime then. During the 1821 Liberation Revolution, the Ottomans destroyed the monastery, slaughtered the monks and set fire to […]
The Holy Metropolis of Lambi, Syvritos and Sfakia
The Metropolis comprises the former provinces of Agios Vaseilios, Amari and Sfakia. In other words, it covers a part of the city of Rethymnon and a part of the city of Chania. The Diocese of Syvritos, as confirmed by documents, had Bishops as early as the Early Christian Period, at the site of the ancient […]
Panagias (Mother Mary) Church (Lambini)
This is a simple four-pillar, cruciform church with a cupola. It dates from the end of the 12th century. Mural decorations are to a great extent preserved despite physical deterioration and the fact that the church had been set on fire. The murals were painted in three different periods between the 12th and the 15th […]
