⭐ 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 Saint Irene in Axos

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The church of Saint Irene (Agia Irini) in Axos is one of the many Byzantine churches of the village. It is located inside the village and a few meters west of the hill of Ancient Axos, which was one of the strongest cities during the Greco-Roman Period that flourished until the Byzantine period.

Church of Panagia in Agia Paraskevi

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The Church of Panagia (Virgin Mary) in the center of the small village Agia Paraskevi in the province Amari is an arched and single aisle temple dedicated to the Dormition of Theotokos (feast. August 15th). It is the oldest temple of the village, even older than the church of Saint Paraskevi which gives its name to the village.

Agia Zoni church at Agies Paraskies

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The large temple of the Agia Zoni (Cincture of Virgin Mary) is located inside the village of Agies Paraskies and celebrates the day of the Cincture of the Theotokos (August 31) which is the last day of the Greek Orthodox church year. The church dates back to the 11th century and has frescoes that are very hard to discern.

Church of Jesus Christ our Savior in Kritsa

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During the Venetian occupation, the double-aisled temple of Jesus Christ our Savior in Kritsa gave the name Christos to the neighborhood around, which was then considered a separate settlement, and operated as its cemetery. Here, the father of the legendary woman Kritsotopoula was a priest.

Church of Panagia in Patsos

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The ruined church of Panagia in the village Patsos, province Amari, is dedicated to the Birth of the Theotokos. The magnificence of the building and the high quality of construction materials and frescoes rank this church as one of the most important in Crete.

Church of Panagia in Lithines

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The Church of Panagia (Our Lady) in Lithines, province Sitia, is located in the center of the village. It consists of the original Byzantine church of the Dormition of Theotokos, which is strangely honored at the Birth of the Virgin.

Church of Saint Athanasius in Kefali

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The church of Saint Athanasius (Agios Athanasios) is located just outside the village Kefali of the area called Nine Villages in Kissamos province. The single-nave arched temple is surrounded by a beautiful piney park and its interior has a reinforcing arch.

Saint Basil church at Agios Vasilios

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The church of Saint Basil of Caesarea (Agios Vasilios) is located in the center of the historic village of Agios Vassilios or Kato Sivritos, which was the seat of Castelo San Baseglio and gave its name to the province of Agios Vasilios. It consists of the original 13th-century dome-shaped cruciform temple, with a second aisle added in the second half of the 19th century.

Asceticism

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