⭐ Travel Guide for Island Crete ⛵, Greece❗

The arrival of Saint John the Hermit in Crete of the Early Christian Times was the beginning of a great ascetic tradition that continues to the present day. Hundreds of hermits secluded in the most remote parts of the island, forming ascetic communities that later evolved to thriving monasteries. Hundreds of countryside monasteries, most of which don't operate today, are dispersed throughout the island.

A special sample of hermitage is the Monastery Katholiko at Akrotiri Cape in the caves of which hermits lived their monastic life away, from worldly pleasures. Equally important were the religious sites of the secluded peninsulas Gramvousa and Rodopos, where several small monasteries developed.

The greatest hermitage of all was the naturally isolated, and impassable range of Asterousia in southern Heraklion. Hundreds of caves from Saint Nikitas to Cape Lithino still host hermits. Relations between them were so limited that in Agiofarago and Martsalo they gathered only once a year, in cave Goumenospilio and counted how many of them survived each year.

In eastern Crete, the north province of Mirabello is the largest field of asceticism with dozens of small monastic establishments. Here hermits built small monasteries, where they usually lived alone.

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Saint Nicholas church at Kiriakoselia

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The church of St. Nicholas at Kyriakosellia belongs to the most important churches in Crete. Its walls are adorned by frescoes. It is one of the finest samples of Byzantine architecture in the island.

Panagia Church at Martsalo

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At the beginning of the route in Martsalos Gorge you will find the lovely church of Panagia Martsaliani, dedicated to the Annunciation. The church, built in a cave, was used as a catacomb at the time of Christian persecutions. Just a few centuries earlier, it came back to light by chance, when a shepherd found it and realized that it was covered by rocks.

Saint Onuphrius church at Alones

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At the root of the steep and imposing range of Kryoneritis in south Rethymno lies the picturesque green village Alones. Its name is taken after its shape, which resembles a huge threshing (Aloni is threshing in Greek). In the village square under a perennial plane tree there is the beautiful humble chapel of St. Onoufrios.

Saints Peter and Paul monastery at Rodopos

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The Monastery of Peter and Paul is located at Cape Rodopos (or Spatha), 40km northwest of Chania and 12.5 km from the village Rodopou and is reached through a rocky dirt road. With the abbey of Saint John in Giona, a few kilometers earlier, it flourished during the late Venetian rule. Just after the occupation of Crete by the Turks the monastery became a dependency of the powerful Hodeghetria Gonia monastery.

Panagia Paplinou Monastery at Vainia

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The monastery of Panagia Paplinou is located 10km east of Ierapetra, near Katharades area and in relatively close proximity to the sea (2km). The monastery is not inhabited today, but its church celebrates on August 15.

Kastri Early Christian Basilica at Hersonissos

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The Early Christian Basilica on the hill Kastri, above the port of Hersonissos, was one of the largest in Crete (dates back in 5th century). It was three-aisled and its floors were covered with wonderful mosaics.

Saint Basil Church at Koutouloufari

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The church of St. Basil was built in 1840, having nested the single-nave chapel of the 14th century in the sanctuary. The chapel was fully painted. The triumphal arch depicts the “Holy Shroud” and the “Annunciation”. On the east side of the arch, inside the sanctuary, there is the “Ascension of Jesus” along with 4 Angels and 6 Apostles.

Saint John the Divine monastery at Aptera

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The restored Byzantine Monastery of St. John the Divine is located next to the huge Roman cisterns of the ancient city of Aptera. It is believed to have been built in the 7th century AD, as a dependency of the Monastery of Patmos island, under the supervision of which it remained till 1964 (when it was abandoned permanently).

Asceticism

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