Rethymnon

The monastery of Panagia Antifonitria is located in the village Miriokefala, 29km south of Rethymno. The monastery does not operate today and is one of the oldest monasteries in Crete. It is said to have been founded in the 11th century by St. John Xenos or Hermit. Saint John is well known for establishing several small monasteries across the island.

At the root of the steep and imposing range of Kryoneritis in south Rethymno lies the picturesque green village Alones. Its name is taken after its shape, which resembles a huge threshing (Aloni is threshing in Greek). In the village square under a perennial plane tree there is the beautiful humble chapel of St. Onoufrios.

The church was recently restored by the Archaeological Service and is now open to the public. The temple was built in the Middle Byzantine period on the site of an earlier basilica of the 3rd AD century, parts of which were later incorporated the church. On the sides four rooms were built, so the final shape of the temple is rectangular.

The two-aisled church of Panagia Katochoriani or Levadiotissa at Roustica is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin and the Transfiguration of Chist. It was founded probably in the 12th century as a single-aisled church of the Virgin Mary and in 1627 a second aisle was attached to the existing temple.

The monastery of Saints Peter and Paul is located at the settlement of Gallos, near the University of Crete. The restored monastery, for which there is no surviving information about its history, is a dependency of the Monastery of Arkadi.

The Church of the Panagia (Virgin Mary) is located at the center of the village Kyrianna and is dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. The original church (11th century) was a cruciform temple with a dome and looked like the chapel of Saint Paul at Sfakia.

One of the most beautiful caves dedicated Saint Anthony is located in the village Fotinos in the center of Rethymnon prefecture. This historic village is well hidden in dense oak forest and is named after a general of Nikiforos Fokas, Fotinos.

At position Onythe we meet the ruins of an ancient settlement that has been identified as the ancient town Fallanes or Osmida. At this location there are traces of an early Christian basilica, which was excavated by N. Platon in 1947 and has dimensions 31mx15m.