Asceticism

A few meters north of Aitania village starts an impressively steep downhill dirt road leading to the church of Agia Paraskevi. Agia Paraskevi is located in a valley of incredible beauty filled with ancient tall cypress trees that dominate throughout the region. Just below the small chapel, before water drilling changed the underwater water level, there was a sping called Lazarakis which has now dried up. The church of Agia Paraskevi, despite its small size has an impressive history.

Very well hidden at a dense grove with oak trees and ancient olive trees is the cemetery church of Agia Kyriaki at Labiriana, Selino district. The very small settlement is just 2km away from Kandanos. Agia Kyriaki feast takes place on July 7, and is dated to 14th century or maybe later.

The church of Agios Nikolaos is located on the northern side of the island Chrissi, at the site where Tyrian purple was produced and graves are located. It dates back to the 13th century, although it has undergone more recent interventions. The temple is built on the site of an ancient building.

One of the many Byzantine churches at Episkopi, province Pediada, is that of Saint John the Baptist. The temple, dedicated to the Beheading of John the Baptist, bears exceptional frescoes dating back from the 14th century. On the floor there are two graves, while on the exterior wall it has an arcosolium (tomb monument) that probably belongs to the founder of the church.

Between the villages Agia Varvara and Megali Vrysi, on a plateau full of vineyards, olive trees, almond trees and oaks we meet the church of St. John the Theologian. This point is located at 600 meters altitude, in the center of the island, and is of particular geological interest because it is the highest point in Crete where we meet marine fossils and shells. The church of St. John the Theologian, which still dominates the area, is surrounded by a large number of dilapidated buildings that are probably the remains of a medieval hamlet or monk cells.

Just outside the charming village Panassos we meet the chapel of St. John Rigologos. St. John is accessed via a rough dirt road crossing a region with ancient olive trees and strange rocks formations full of ancient carvings. The area hosts the remains of a Minoan farmhouse and ancient stone quarries.

Kaminos is a very fertile valley with thousands of olive trees belonging to three settlements: Skalani, Prassa and Kallithea. Kaminos was a Medieval settlement, today disappeared, that hosted three temples; the churches of Archangel Michael, the church of Christ and the church of Saint Demetrius.

The double aisled Church of the Holy Apostles and St Peter and Paul is located at the foot of Tholi Hill, with the homonym fort, and belonged to the Venetian family of Cornaro. It was built in the 15-16th century and still hosts two arcosoliums (tomb monuments) inside and outside the church (bearing the inscription 1614).