Saint Savas Church at Ellinoperamata
The currently deserted monastery of Saint Savas (Agios Savvas) is located at a degraded location of Heraklion bay, next to the cement and fuel industries at Ellinoperamata, very close to the monastery of Pantanassa and not too far from the sea.
The temple was built in the 10th century by Nicephorus Phocas and a prosperous monastery soon was established around it. According to tradition it hosted 300 monks who were slaughtered by the Arabs on a raid and the monastery was then abandoned. The monks of Saint Savas who escaped the horrific massacre probably moved to a more protected area and founded the current monastery of Savvatiana.
The church was totally destroyed until 2002, when it was restored by the family Kefalogiannis. The interior of the temple hosts an old photograph showing the condition of the temple before its restoration and it is clear that it was for years without a roof and exposed to the weather conditions. This was the reason why the original frescoes that adorned the temple were almost completely destroyed and only a few specimens survive.
The stone-built church has undergone exemplary restoration and is now an ornament for the wider area. Pines were planted in its yard and a wooden roof was installed. The church of Agios Savvas in Ellinoparamata celebrates on December 5.
