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.
The village of Stavros Ierapetra, formerly known as Kapistri, preserves quite a number of temples, indicating its flourishing course in the past. One of the most impressive temples is located a few meters south of the settlement and is called Kato (Lower) Saint George.
The central square of the picturesque village Lithines in the province Sitia hosts the Old School, which today operates as a cultural center. Just a few meters further we meet the Byzantine church of Agios Athanasios, dating back to the 15th century, but it does not bear frescoes.
The small monastery of Panagia at Ligia is dedicated to Zoodochos Pigi (Life Giving Spring) and is located in a wooded area near village Stavrochori, province Sitia. There are several dirt roads leading to the site, with the most passable (5.2 km long) starting from the church of Agios Fanourios on the road that connects Koutsouras with Stavrohori.
The Church of Panagia (Our Lady) Bitsiani or Pitsiani is located in the position Kaouriana of the small settlement Kadros in Kakodiki, province Selino, and is dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary (feast. September 8th).
To the north of the Sougia settlement, the church of Saint Irene (Agia Irini) is preserved in the architectural type of the single-nave church with a dome, to which an arched-roof narthex was added in a second stage, which survives as a late reconstruction of its dome.
The church of Panagia of Rodea is dedicated to the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary (celebr. March 25th) and is located in the center of the village Rogdia, next to the magnificent 16th-century villa Modino.
The small one-storey church of Saint George (Agios Georgios) in Koustogerakos, province Selino, is located in the cemetery of the village. The church rescues 15th-century frescoes by painter Georgios Provatopoulos, according to an inscription of 1488.
The church of Saint George (Agios Georgios) is located at the highest point of the ruined Medieval settlement of Voila, on the outskirts of Armeni village of Sitia, and very close to the imposing Venetian tower of Salamon family.
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West CreteCentral CreteEast CreteChaniaPaleochoraKissamosGeorgioupolisChora SfakionLoutroRethymnonAgia GaliniPlakiasSpiliAnogiaHeraklionHersonissosMaliaMatalaAgia Pelagia`ArchanesKokkinos PirgosAgios NikolaosEloundaSitiaIerapetraMakrigialosPalekastroZakrosLassithi Plateau
