John the Ksenos
Holy Metropolis of Gortyna and Arcadia
The Metropolis of Gortyna and Arkadia with its seat at Moires occupies the southwest part of the county of Heraklion. Its territory coincides to a great extent with that of the ancient metropolis of Gortyna whose seat was the homonymous city that was the political and religious centre of Crete from the first Christian years […]
Agios Eftichios (St. Eutychius) (Chromonastiri)
This is an 11th century Byzantine church, as its murals testify. It was originally a single-aisled cruciform church, but received various additions over time, resulting in four smaller rooms around its central aisle at present. Agios Eftichios is the only church on Crete with five spaces. The murals were painted by Ioannis Xenos.
Zoodochos Pigi (Life-giving Font) (Alikianos)
The church of Zoodochos Pigi (Life-giving Font) is also known as Ai kyr-Yiannis, from the name of its donor, Ioannis Xenos. It was built in 1030 and it is a cross-in-square church with a cupola. The internal decoration is in two layers. The first one dates back to the 11th century and was recently revealed […]
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 […]
