⭐ 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 Anthony Church at Avdou

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Saint Anthony is located at the western end of Avdou and is a small single-nave vaulted church built in the 13th - 14th century. The church bears frescoes of Emmanuel and Ioannis Fokas. It is the only case in Crete of bicolored frescoes. The painters used only the reddish - brown and blue - lilac colors.

Kira Eleousa church at Spilia

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Kyra Eleousa is located amidst of a green and fertile slope. The temple courtyard hosts a well with spring water that never dries up. According to tradition Kyra Eleousa Spilia served as a small monastery till the Ottoman Era. It is true that in the last years of the Venetian era, the suburbs of Heraklion (Candia) on the so-called area of Parakandia housed about 40 active monasteries.

Saint Anthony church at Episkopi

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The church of Saint Anthony at Episkopi is located in a beautiful square with pine trees at the east part of the old village. It is a small single-nave vaulted church bearing parts of frescoes.

Saint Demetrius church at Ano Kornias

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St. Demetrius was a small monastery that operated near the settlement Ano Kornias during the Venetian period. Today the church has been renovated, while all around there are ruins of a kitchen, olive press, stable etc.

Church of Panagia at Arkalohori

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The church of Panagia at village Arkalohori is dedicated to the Birth of the Virgin. While it seems a newer church, it is Byzantine and under the plaster covering its walls it probably hides exquisite frescoes. There are some parts with frescoes that have been revealed.

Saint George church at Prodromi

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From Prodromi village of Selino province starts a dirt track leading eastwards to the gorge of Lissos. On the way we meet the small, single-aisled church of Saint George (Agios Georgios). The interior bears frescoes dating back from the 14th century by Ioannis Pagomenos, one of the most famous painters of Eastern Crete.

Church of Panagia Mavridiani

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The church of Panagia Mavridiani is located at position Sohora by Meronas village. It is a double aisled basilica dedicated to the Birth of Virgin Mary and Saints Constantine and Helen. The south aisle dates back from the 13th century, while the second was added in the 16th century. The walls bear some traces of frescoes, mainly dating back from the 15th century.

Church of Saint George at Opsigias

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In the center of the village Opsigias we meet the cemeterial church of St. George, which has a very interesting doorway. The temple dates back from the 15th century and bears traces of frescoes.

Asceticism

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