Kirchen & Klöster

Epanosifis Monastery

Archanes-Asterousia, Heraklion · Free

Highlights & amenities

Entry: Free

About

One of the oldest and wealthiest monasteries in Crete.

The monastery of Agios Georgios Epanosifis lies in the hills about 25 km south of Heraklion, near the village of Choudetsi. It was founded in the 17th century by a monk from Mount Sinai and became one of the richest and most influential monasteries in Crete.

During the Ottoman period it was a centre of education and of the Cretan struggle for freedom. The monastery has a large church with fine icons, and a museum with religious treasures, manuscripts and vestments.

The monastery is very active today and is a place of pilgrimage. The setting in the hills is green and peaceful.

Archanes-Asterousia stretches from the wine villages south of Heraklion, like Archanes and Peza, down to the wild Asterousia mountains and the Libyan Sea. Mount Giouchtas, which looks like the profile of Zeus, rises above Archanes, and the area is rich in Minoan sites. Further south, the Asterousia hide monasteries, gorges and remote beaches such as Treis Ekklisies and Tsoutsouros. The wineries of the Peza area are open for tastings.

Around Archanes-Asterousia

Nearest town: Heraklion, about 28 km by road
Nearest airport: Heraklion airport (HER), about 29 km by road

Heraklion is the heart of Minoan Crete and the island’s busiest region. Knossos and the Heraklion Archaeological Museum are the two places almost everyone visits, and they work well together on one day. In the south, the wide Messara plain holds the palace of Phaistos, the Roman ruins of Gortyna and the famous caves above the bay of Matala. More about Heraklion