citadel architectural
Holy Monastery of Kremasta
The monastery of Kremasta is located at a distance of around 2,5 kilometres from Neapolis on the slopes of Mount Kavallara on the route towards the Plateau of Lasithi. According to the dedicatory inscription on the lintel of the catholicon, it was founded in 1593 by Metrophanes Agapetos. From around the middle of the 19th […]
Holy Monastery of Odegetria
The monastery of Odegetria [All-Holy Virgin ‘She who leads the Way’] is located to the southwest of the sierra of Asterousia between the settlement of Listaro and the bay of Kaloi Limenes in an area with a continuous monastic presence for centuries. Even though the catholicon of the monastery has mural paintings of the 14th […]
Agarathos Monastery
Agarathos Monastery, one of the oldest monasteries on Crete (founded during the 2nd Byzantine era), is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. During the 16th century, the monastery started being fortified and taking on the form of a citadel. During the era of Venetian rule, it was an important seminary for clergymen. During the era of […]
Kardamoutsa Monastery
The monastery is dedicated to the True Cross. It was founded in the late 16th century and belongs to the citadel style. The monastery features stone sculptures, capitals and sculpted troughs that prove its peak during the 17th century. The catholicon dates back to 1580. It is situated at the centre of the monastery and […]
Holy Monastery of Kera – Kardiotissa
The foundation and the history of the monastery, the first mention of which dates to 1333 is inextricably linked to the wonderworking icon of the All-Holy Virgin the Kardiotissa [the type of icon where the Virgin holds Christ in her arms above her heart], which according to tradition was painted by St. Lazaros, a monk […]
Glebe of Kera Eleoussa (Our Lady of Mercy)
Kera Eleoussa Monastery is located on a hill near Voritsi village and is a glebe of Agarathos Monastery. It was built in 1606 in the classical citadel architectural style. The catholicon is built on the ruins of an older church and contains two monks’ tombs. According to tradition, the monastery contained a miraculous icon of […]
Profitis Ilias (Prophet Elijah) Monastery
Profitis Ilias Monastery is located on rocky, elevated terrain near the village Roustika. The monastery was built during the era of Venetian rule and belongs to the citadel style of architecture, with its catholicon being a three-aisled domed basilica dedicated to the Prophet Eli, the Holy Trinity and the Holy Cincture. The catholicon contains a […]
Diskouriou Monastery
Diskouriou Monastery is located near the traditional hamlet of Axos and served as a glebe of Halepa Monastery. It must have been in operation during the late years of Venetian Rule, as it is listed in 1630 in the list of Mylopotamos villages. The fact that an important religious centre was located here is also […]
Vossakos Monastery
Vossakos Monastery is located between the peaks of Koutsotrouli, Sofiani and Koufotos of Mount Kouloukonas. It belongs to the citadel style of architecture, being surrounded by walls, and is dedicated to the True Cross. Its catholicon is a small, single-space structured built in the late 19th century, but its first catholicon, according to the inscription […]
Agia Irini (St. Irene) Convent
The convent located near Rethymno was probably founded by Byzantine ascetics who lived as nuns in caves within the region. During the period of Venetian rule, the convent owned extensive land and operated throughout the period of Ottoman rule until the revolution of 1821, when it began to shrink. It subsequently underwent a long period […]
