Saint George monastery at Kolimbari
During the Medieval Age, when pirate raids on the seas of Crete intensified, the monks of the monastery of Saint George (Agios Georgios) in Menies decided to move to a safer location. So they chose the place where the cemetery of the Monastery of Odigitria Gonia at Kolimbari is today and built a new monastery also dedicated to Saint George, which in the 17th century evolved into the Monastery of Panagia Odigitria Gonia at its current location.
The old monastery can be accessed through an uphill path from the monastery of Gonia. Around the temple, one still finds the cells of the monks. The temple originally belonged to the type of single-room vaulted church, which was later extended to the west. Inside it has exceptional frescoes dating to the second half of the 15th century with scenes of the evangelical cycle, the circle of Virgin Mary, various saints and the depiction of Saint John of the Ladder. During the next century another aisle was added and an arch was opened to communicate with the original temple.
