⭐ 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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Michael the Archangel (Rotonda) church in Episkopi Kissamos

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The church of Archangel Michael is one of the finest Byzantine monuments located at village Episkopi, Kissamos province, where it operated as a diocese (episkopi) during the second Byzantine Period. The yard housed a Byzantine cemetery (7- 8th century) and today we see traces of the episcopal buildings.

Panagia Katholiki church at Tria Monastiria

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At the suburb Tria Monastiria of Rethymnon city, just opposite the entrance of the Municipal Cemetery of the city, we meet a ruined stone building with a small church on its roof, in a really beautiful grove.

Monastery of the 98 Holy Fathers, Azogyres

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The Monastery of the 98 Holy Fathers is located in a lush green area near the village Azogyres, Selino province. It was built in 1864 by Konstantinos Kriaris at the site where, according to tradition, the 99 Holy Fathers lived, led by Saint John the Hermit, one of the best known Saints of Crete, who is considered the founder of asceticism on the island.

Nerantze Mosque (Odeon of Rethymnon)

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According to certain Venetian maps and the excavation reports the monastery had a rectangular plan with the cells arranged around the church. Today only the church is preserved with its original plan altered because of its conversion to a mosque and the addition of a chapel at the west.

Monastery of Ayiasmenos in Ierapetra

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The monastery of Ayiasmenos (Hallowed, Sanctified) is located 2km north of Ierapetra, near the main road connecting the town with Pahia Ammos. The church of the monastery is dedicated to Agii Pantes (All Saints) and in the late 19th century it hosted the home of the Bishop of Ierapetra and Sitia.

Sarakinasmonastery (Megisti Lavra dependency)

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The monastery complex, a dependency of the monastery of Megisti Lavra at Athos, has been declared a historical monument. It consists of neoclassical buildings that surround the one-aisledtemple that was reconstructed in the 19th century. The complex consists of cells and rooms for storing crops.

Church of Panagia at Thronos

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The church of Panagia (Our Lady), located at the village Thronos at Amari province is a single-aisled vaulted church built around 1300. The temple was built on the ruins of an early Christian basilica of the 4th century, from which mosaics are preserved. The church bears frescoes of the 14th-15th century, while there is an inscription of 1491.

Saint Anthony Church at Agiofarago

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The name of the gorge Agiofaraggo means “Saints’ gorge” and indicates that it was used by many hermits who stayed here because of the isolation of the area. According to a legend, three hundred hermits lived here in absolute isolation from each other. They met only once a year at “Goumenospilio” and then they were aware of those who had died the previous year.

Asceticism

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