⭐ Travel Guide for Island Crete ⛵, Greece❗ - Monastery of Saint George at Xera Xyla

Monastery of Saint George at Xera Xyla

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The deserted monastery of Saint George at Xera Xyla is located in the province Mirabello, near the village Kourounes, accessed via a dirt track. The central temple is dedicated to Saint George (Agios Georgios) and today is a dependency of the monastery of Saint George Apanosifis. The complex consists of the domed church of Saint George, surrounded by several fortress-like cells and a two-storey building.

Timeline

1635: Ioannis Fouskis founds the monastery in position Xera Xyla and builds the old church of St. George.
1912: The present church of St. George is built, with cross-shaped architecture, a unique architecture in the entire region.
1976: The monk Neophytos Lykakis from the monastery of Agios Georgios Epanosifis leaves the monastery and it gets deserted.
1977: The Agency of the Monasterial Property rents the monastery to shepherds and they settle in this with their herds, causing incalculable damage to the complex.
1999: The monastery is granted to the Monastery of Saint George Epanosifis.
2006: The Agency of the Monasterial Property evicts the shepherds and starts the restoration of the monastery.