Apokoronas

Very close to the main beach of Almirida, Apokoronas, province, we meet the aisled basilica of the second half of the 6th century with a mosaic floor, the foundations of the altar and some pillar capitals. It belongs to the basilica with a transept and a narthex.

The church of Saint George at Kournas is one of the most important surviving Byzantine Monuments of Crete. It is built in a prominent position with panoramic views of the sea and probably operated as a monastery, and there are some traces of monk cells.

The church of Saint John the Forerunner is located just outside the village of Stylos (Apokoronas province) at position Platanakia. It is one-aisled church built in 1898 and celebrating on August 29 (a big fest takes place then). Around the church there are many plane trees which offer shade to visitors and there are benches and tables making the place ideal for picnics.

The chapel of Agia Paraskevi is accessed via the road leading to Episkopi, Rethymno, from Dramia village, Apokoronas. It is a very small cavernous rock built at the west bank of Mouselas river, that starts from Argiroupoli springs. It is a weird chapel, with irregular sides, with a unique shape in Crete.

St George Galatas (Milky) at village Asi Gonia is a small single-aisled church. This temple houses one of the famous centuries-old traditions of Crete during the feast of St. on April 23.

The temple of Saint John Theologian and St Nicholas is built at the entrance of the village of Stylos. This is a complex of three buildings, dating from the 13-15th century and preserving a fragmentary mural decoration of the 13th, 14th and 15th century.

The church of St. Paul, after which the village Agios Pavlos of province Apokoronas is named, by Gavalohori, dates back from the 16th century. It has been restored and the interior does not preserve murals. Outside the temple, a cemetery has been identified which dates back from the 12th century, implying that there was an older temple here. There is a cross in the interior, bearing the date 1886.

At one of the most isolated and unknown villages of Apokoronas province, called Hambatha we meet the cemeterial church of St. George Methystis (i.e. St George that makes people drunk). Hambatha is a very small village built high on a hillside with a panoramic view, surrounded by woods of ancient cypress trees and very dense vegetation.