⭐ 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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Church of Kato Saint George at Kroustas

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The Kato (lower) St. George was founded in 13th century and is adjacent to another newer church of St. George. It is a small single-nave, barrel-vaulted church, with buttresses at the southern wall and its entrance on the west. The openings are adorned with stone reliefs of the time of the Venetian rule.

Church of Agia Kiriaki at Vorrou

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The end of the 19th century, the monk Georgios Kostantoulakis, also known locally as Moyses, took refuge in a secluded location near the village Vorrou, where he lived in a small cave. Over time he built the church of Agia Kyriaki, a cell and some auxiliary rooms. According to the inscription we see even today over the church door, the temple was built in 1901.

Saint Paraskevi monastery at Fourni

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The monastery of St Paraskevi is located outside the village Fourni and has now abandoned. Next to the small single-nave church there are few remains of the buildings of the monastery which was founded before 1615.

Church of Saint John at Erfi

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In the center of the small village Erfi in Mylopotamos province we meet the church of Saint John. The temple bears frescoes in good condition, dating back from the 14th century.

Lord Christ Church at Kounavi

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At the village Kounavi there is a three aisled Byzantine church dedicated to the Transfiguration of Christ, Saint Nicholas and Saint Demetrius, which is the main church of the village. This temple is unique as it has five domes, one large in the center and four smaller around it. According to tradition it was built by five unmarried sisters.

Saint John church at Drakonero

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Next to the village Galatas and very close to the Minoan Palace, at position Drakonero, we meet the two-aisled church of St. John. The church of the Byzantine Era bears frescoes in very poor condition, while inside there is an arcosolium (tomb monument) probably for the founder. Below the church there is a well with fresh water.

Saint Andrew church at Vourvoulitis

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The church of Saint Andrew (Agios Andreas) is located in a lush green area with plane trees near the village Vourvoulitis. Next to the church there is the small cave Kalegerospilios from which gushes water and is collected to a cistern, while the roof of the cave preserves traces of a fresco of Lord Christ.

Panagia church at Mathia

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The two-aisled church of St. John and the Virgin Mary at Mathia is the result of adding a second aisle (of the Assumption) in the 19th century to the existing single-aisled church of St. John. The nave of St. John bears frescoes from the 14th century with scenes from the Mariology and the Christological cycle. There are also murals of sinners.

Asceticism

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