The province of Milopotamos hosted many small monasteries and hermitages. The rugged coastline hosted many ascetic centers, which were later moved to the innerland due to the threat of the pirate raids.
Saint Nektarios Monastery at Anogia 
The Monastery of Saint Nektarios at Anogia is a female modern monastery built in a beautiful wooded location with nice view to the neighborhood Perahori of Anogia town.
The monastery is located in the village Margarites, 30km south of Rethymno, and was built in the late 15th - early 16th century. It is a dependency of the Monastery of Karakalou at Athos. Its founder belonged to the Venetian family Dandolo. In front of the beautiful gate, there is a tomb embossed with the crest of Dandolo, preserved in very good condition till today.
Arkadi Monastery is located near the village Amnatos, 23km east of Rethymno. It is built at an altitude of 500m, on a fertile plateau with olive groves, vineyards, pine, cypress and oak trees. Around the monastery there are several picturesque chapels and from there starts the beautiful Arkadi gorge.
Arsaniou monastery is located near Pagalochori village, 11km east of Rethymnon, in a location with panoramic views to the Cretan Sea. The church of the monastery is dedicated to St. George and is a cruciform basilica with a dome. A museum and a conference center operate in the complex.
The monastery of Christ the Savior of Halepa is built on a high hill near the villages Tsahiana and Veni, 46km east of Rethymno. The views to the valley of Mylopotamos from there are panoramic. While before 2000 the monastery was a set of ruins, today the restored monastery operates normally and is one of the most beautiful monasteries in Crete.
The monastery of Diskouri is located 43km east of Rethymnon and is considered one of the oldest monasteries in Crete. Its age is evidenced by the nearby richly decorated Byzantine church of St. John the Baptist.
The Monastery Attali or Bai is built over the hill of Agia Ypakoi, west of Bali, with panoramic sea views to the sea and close to the main road connecting Rethymnon to Heraklion. The region was isolated till 1970, when the highway was constructed, and thus monasticism and asceticism flourished till then.
The monastery of Holy Cross in Vosako is built in a small plateau between the peaks Koutroulis and Mesokofinas of the Talean Mountains, 50km east of Rethymno. The monastery can be accessed by car via the village Doxaro and the rough landscape is amazing. There is a second road starting from Sisses village.
