Pediada

At the village Kastelli, province Pediada, we meet the very old church of Christ. The temple bears Venetian frescoes of great artistic value.

The small single-aisled Venetian church of Archangel Michael is located at the ruined village of Kato Astraki. Its interior bears impressive frescoes. Out of them stands out the representation of St. Francis.

At the highest point of the deserted village Kato Astrakoi we still see the imposing temple of Saint George Vourvoulitis, which unfortunately is now dilapidated. The temple was built on the site of an early Christian Basilica. Next to the church, at the point where we see currently the pipes for the irrigation of the surrounding fields, there was the spring of "holy water of Saint George".

In the center of the village Stamni dominates the impressive three-aisled and cross-shaped church of Christ the Savior, which is dedicated to the Transfiguration of Christ, St. Catherine and St. Paraskevi. The temple dates back from the 13th century and retains some traces of murals.

The Church of the Annunciation (Panagia) at Kassani, Pediada, is a small, single-nave and vaulted temple. It's interior bears frescoes of the Palaeologean School of the 14th century.

Saint Demetrius by Galifa operated as a monastery during the Venetian Era, as evidenced even today by the dispersed traces of monk cells around. The doorway is impressive with a relief representation of Saint Demetrius on horseback. The small monastery was a dependency of Agarathos monastery.

Just outside the village Houdetsi and very close to the archaeological site of Vathypetro we meet the cavernous church of St. Panteleimon (Pantaleon). It is built on a slope of an area called Thergia with amazing views to the valleys of the northern Heraklion and the sacred mountain of Youchtas.

A passable dirt road that starts from the cemetery of village Gournes and heads south, leads us to position Xevigli where there is a temple of the former monastery Saint John Pezetis, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist (feast day is August 29th). The small church interior bears frescoes in fair condition, dated in two phases.