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.
At the northern end of the plain of Kastelli, between the villages Sklaverohori and Agii Apostoli (Pediada district), we meet Panagia Kera. Access is very easy because it's on the main road. The informative signs tell us that the church dates from the 14th century. This is another single-aisled church, built during the Venetian occupation of Crete, a time when the island was decorated with resplendent temples, most of which carried rich wall paintings.
At the highest point of Houdetsi village, position Marolliana, we meet the cavernous chapel of Agia Paraskevi. It is a very small temple within a carved room, almost square shape, which was possible carved in a preexisting cave. According to Paul Faure it was a Minoan sanctuary several centuries ago. Agia Paraskevi is celebrated on July 26 by Christian Orthodoxy.
The temple of Panagia Faneromeni is located in a wooded location of the village Kerasia, on the sides of the beautiful gorge of Kerasia (continuation of the gorge of St. Anthony). The view around is really unique. The current temple was built on the site of a ruined Venetian church in 1914.
The church of Panagia at Anisaraki settlement, by Kandanos is a single-aisled vaulted temple with two reinforcing strainers (narthexes). There is a Venetian gate in the western wall, while the original entrance was on the south wall (we still see the arch and an inscription of 1614). The church bears frescoes in good condition, dating back to 1390-1400.
The church of Panagia Koubelina is dedicated to the Assumption of Virgin Mary (Panagia) and is a very important Byzantine monument. It is the only surviving sample of cruciform domed church in East Crete.
At the cemetery of the village Pantanassa in province Amari, Rethymnon, we meet the impressive double aisled temple dedicated to Saint John the Baptist and the Holy Trinity. The temple was built in 1645 and its owner was Manolis Vlastos. The doors bear really interesting Gothic elements, while its interior preserves an arcosol (a type of tomb) dating back to 1594, probably belonging to a member of the Vlastos family.
At the mountainous forested village of Agios Ioannis, Sfakia district, we meet the small church of Panagia that celebrates the day of the Assumption, on August 15. It is located on the outskirts of the large forest of St. John and is directly opposite the church of St. John, which gives its name to the village.
Amid the fertile plain of Lassithi, among potato crops and the characteristic metal windmills of the plateau, we meet the temple of Saint John Kambitis (or Mesokapiditis) which means Saint John of the Plain. The temple is dedicated to St. John the Baptist and is the largest pilgrimage of the province of Lasithi.
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