Places
Aghios Nikolaos (St. Nicholas) (Kyriakoselia)
The church of St. Nicholas is at the foot of the hill where the early Byzantine Castle controlling the Souda Bay stands. The church was built in the 11th century and initially was a one-isle church with an arched roof and probably a cupola. Then, in the 13th century, after various modifications, the church became […]
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 […]
Guverneto Monastery
The Guverneto Monastery is situated at the northeast end of Akrotiri, on a location full of lentisks, thyme, wild olive trees and carob trees. It is one of the oldest monasteries of Akrotiri. Guverneto was founded after the 11th century and destroyed by fire before 1765. The bloodiest pages of its history were written during […]
Church of Agios Georgios and Agios Haralampos (St. George & St. Charalampus) (Episkopi)
The church of Saint George and Saint Charalampus is one of the most important religious monuments in the region of Ierapetra. The 11th century Byzantine bathhouse that originally stood on the site was converted into a church, possibly during the 16th century. Byzantine bathhouses and churches shared many architectural elements, and, as a result, abandoned […]
The church of St. Photius (Agios Photios) & St. Anicetus (Agios Anikitos) (Falassarna)
Near the church of St. Ioannis Xenos, there is a cave church dedicated to St. Photius and Anikitos. This cave church, offering a wonderful vista of the area, has been altered many times and its foundation is attributed to Ioannis Xenos himself.
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 […]
The church of Saint Barbara (Agia Varvara) (Boulgaro)
In the village of Boulgaro there is the ruined church of Saint Barbara, which probably used to be the Catholicon church of a monastery. It is a cruciform, ‘cross-in-a-square’ church with a cupola and a narthex that was added at a later age, which underwent various architectural changes during the period of Venetian. The church […]
