• Home

The religious tradition at the province of Kissamos, at the westermost part of Crete, is still deeply ingrained in the daily habits of its inhabitants. Dozens of countryside monasteries and isolated hermitages, deserted today, recount the distant past. The wild and remote peninsulas of Rodopou and Gramvousa hosted many such relegious centers.

  • 1
  • 2
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Rating 5.00 (2 Votes)
Church of Saint Basil in Vavouledo

The church of Saint Basil is located to the north of the village of Vavouledo, province Kissamos, which is one of the many neighborhoods of Palea Roumata. The current church is the extension in the 19th century of the initial smaller single-nave arched church of the Savior Christ, dating back to the 15th century.

Read more ...
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Rating 5.00 (1 Vote)
Church of Saint Athanasius in Kefali

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.

Read more ...
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Rating 5.00 (1 Vote)
Church of Saint Nicholas in Mouri

The church of Saint Nicholas (Agios Nikolaos) is located in a rural location north of the village Mouri in Kissamos province. It belongs to the architectural type of the simple transverse-vaulted and dates back to the 13th century.

Read more ...
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Rating 5.00 (1 Vote)
Christ the Savior church at Kefali

The church of Christ the Savior (Sotiras Christos) is located in the cemetery of the village Kefali of the area called Nine Villages in Kissamos Province and is dedicated to the Transfiguration of the Savior (celebr. August 6th). The single-nave arch-roofed temple has been externally altered by recent interventions, but internally it preserves its rich wall paintings that date back from 1320.

Read more ...
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Rating 5.00 (1 Vote)
Church of Saint George Vagionitis in Kastri

The church of Saint George (Agios Georgios) Vagionitis is located in the settlement Kastri in Viannos province, above the spring Flega and just below the dry Piskopi Pidima waterfall. It has always been one of the most important pilgrimages of the area.

Read more ...
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Rating 5.00 (1 Vote)
Saint George Church at Kanavas

The deserted village of Kanavas, province Kissamos, is located on the eastern slope of the hill of Profitis Ilias and is accessible through a dirt road starting from the village Zachariana. Next to the bed of the river passing below the settlement is the church of Saint George, which bears frescoes.

Read more ...
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Rating 0.00 (0 Votes)
Church of Saint John the Hermit in Falassarna

The cavernous church of Saint John Xenos or Hermit is located in position Kavousi, in the region of Platanos village and has amazing view of the fertile valley of Falassarna. The chapel hosts a tomb where, according to the local tradition, was buried Saint John the Hermit, but his bones were later moved to Corfu and the church of Ai-Kyr Yannis in Tsourouniana.

Read more ...
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Rating 5.00 (1 Vote)
Church of Saint Nicholas at Rodopos

At Rodopou Peninsula and not too far from the village Rodopos, we meet the plateau of Agios Nikolaos. Agios Nikolaos is one of the largest plateaus of the peninsula, smaller than that of Gionas, which in the past was cultivated. In the middle of the plateau, we meet the modern temple of Saints Constantine and Helen.

Read more ...
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Rating 5.00 (1 Vote)
Church of Saint Anthony at Rodopos

The temple of Saint Anthony (Agios Antonios) is located on the eastern side of the peninsula Rodopou. Here leads a bad dirt road that runs through the plateau of Agios Nikolaos. Around the temple there are ruins of monk cells, apparently belonging to a monastery that operated here with the church of Saint Anthony.

Read more ...
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Rating 5.00 (1 Vote)
Saint John the Theologian church at Elos

The temple of St. John the Theologian is a single-room vaulted temple with dimensions of 11,20 x 4,46 meters. There are no documents for justifying its exact date, however according to the analysis of its murals it should be built around the first half of the 14th century attributed to the hagiographer Ioannis Pagomenos.

Read more ...
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Rating 2.83 (6 Votes)
Parthenos Monastery at Kissamos

The monastery of Parthenos is a modern nunnery dedicated to Life Giving Spring. It was founded in 1905 and was renovated in 1962. Here operated the Urban School of Girls and the first Deaf school in Crete.

Read more ...
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Rating 3.70 (10 Votes)
Saint John the Hermit Cave at Marathokefala

At the area Marathokefala at Spilia, 25 km west of Chania and just 3 km from Kolymbari, lies the famous historical cave of St. John the Hermit. Inside the cave there is temple of the 15th century and the foundations of old cells that date back in the 17th-18th century.

Read more ...
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Rating 4.20 (5 Votes)
Saint John monastery at Gionas

The monastery of Saint John is located at Cape Rodopou (or Spatha), 37km northwest of Chania and 9.5km away from the village Rodopou, at a small plateau named Giona. With the nearby former monastery of Peter and Paul, a few kilometers north, they flourished during the late Venetian Era. After the conquest of Crete by the Turks both monasteries were handed to the powerful monastery Hodeghetria Gonia.

Read more ...
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Rating 3.50 (2 Votes)
Saint George monastery at Menies

The very old monastery of St. George was built in the 9th century but it was abandoned several centuries later, because of the constant raids of pirates. A Byzantine tower was built next to the building complex. It was built by the monks of the monastery so as to control the sea and pirates.

Read more ...
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Rating 4.00 (3 Votes)
Saints Peter and Paul monastery at Rodopos

The Monastery of Peter and Paul is located at Cape Rodopos (or Spatha), 40km northwest of Chania and 12.5 km from the village Rodopou and is reached through a rocky dirt road. With the abbey of Saint John in Giona, a few kilometers earlier, it flourished during the late Venetian rule. Just after the occupation of Crete by the Turks the monastery became a dependency of the powerful Hodeghetria Gonia monastery.

Read more ...
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Rating 4.00 (3 Votes)
Saint George monastery at Kolimbari

When the Mediterranean suffered from the raids of the pirates, the monks of the seaside monastery of Saint George at Menies decided to migrate to a more secure location.  Thus they chose the site where we meet today the scenic cemeterial church of the Monastery of Gonia Odigitrias, dedicated to St. George (14th century).

Read more ...
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Rating 3.33 (3 Votes)
Hypapante monastery at Habatha

The small monastery of Hypapante (Presentation of Jesus at the Temple) operated at the site of Champatha (Kissamos province), with spectacular views to the surrounding areas. We still see remnants of monk cells and caves where they lived. Above the church, we see the cavernous chapel of Transfiguration of the Christ, accessed only on foot.

Read more ...
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Rating 4.00 (3 Votes)
Holy Cross monastery at Sirikari

At this point, in a wooded setting, operated a monastery dedicated to the Holy Cross. Today the monastery is not operating. The icons in the temple date back from 1886 (painter Papadakis from Rodopou) and the iconostasis from 1883.

Read more ...
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Rating 3.50 (2 Votes)
Gra Kera Monastery at Deliana

The uninhabited Gra Kera monastery by Deliana is dedicated to the birth of Virgin Mary (Panagia). The name comes after Iera Kera i.e. Holy Lady. The monastery in 1632 became a dependency of the larger monastery of Gonia Odigitria at Kolimbari as mentioned in a document, so it was already operating.

Read more ...
  • 1
  • 2

Also read:

Download Free Premium Joomla Templates • FREE High-quality Joomla! Designs BIGtheme.net