ottomans
Saint George of F(a)landra
Τhe monastery of St. George of F(a)landra is located on a hill of Festos, just 100 km to the southwest of the entrance to the archaeological area. Its exact date of foundation is unknown even though its surviving catholicon is dated to the late Venetian period. The existence of the monastery of St. George “of […]
Old Metropolitan Church of Agios Minas (St. Menas)
This is the ‘small’ church of St. Menas and the Pantanassa (Most Holy Queen of All), with its intricate, gilded, wood-carved chancel screen and its valuable 18th century icons painted by renowned Cretan hagiographers. The church is linked to a bloody incident in the city’s history, as it was the site where, in June 1821, […]
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 […]
Holy Monastery of Vrontisi
The monastery of St. Anthony at Vrontisi is located at the southern feet of the sierra of Psiloreites, at a distance of around 2 kilometres from the settlement of Zaros. Even though the first written references to the monastery date to the early 15th century, it is possible that it was founded much earlier. The […]
Paliani Convent
This is one of the oldest convents on Crete, situated south of Venerato village and built on top of the ruins of an ancient temple, as confirmed by the capitals located in the courtyard of the convent. The convent is dedicated to the Dormition of Mother Mary and has been in operation since the first […]
Agia Ekaterini (St. Catherine)
In the historic centre of Heraklion, next to the Metropolitan Church of Agios Minas, only the catholicon of the Old Sinaitic Monastery of Saint Catherine remains. Until 1669, when Crete was sacked by the Ottomans, Agia Ekaterini Monastery was one of the premier religious and intellectual foundations of Orthodoxy. A major monastic centre, it contributed […]
Holy Monastery of Vidiani
The monastery of Vidiani is located in the northwest side of the Plateau of Lasithi. It was founded around the middle of the 19th century by the hieromonk, Methodios Perakis, who was its first abbot, in the area of the settlement of Vides, a large family from Lasithi whose name it took. The simple, mainly […]
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 […]
Arkadi Monastery
Arkadi Monatery is perhaps the best known monastery on Crete due to the Holocaust of 1866. However, its location and impressive architecture make it all the more special. It is a large fortified complex built during the end of the period of Venetian rule. Apart from the monks’ cells, the central building also includes warehouses, […]
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 […]
