Kirchen & Klöster

Gonia Monastery

Platanias, Chania · Free

Highlights & amenities

Entry: Free

About

A monastery by the sea at Kolymvari.

The monastery of Gonia, officially Panagia Odigitria, lies on the coast near Kolymvari, at the base of the Rodopou peninsula. It was founded in the 17th century and has a fortified appearance, as it was often attacked by pirates and Ottomans.

The monastery has a beautiful church and a museum with icons from the 15th to 19th centuries, some of the finest in Crete. A cannonball from the Ottoman period is still stuck in the wall.

It's a short walk from Kolymvari, with its beaches and fish tavernas.

The monastery takes its name from the famous Hodegetria icon of the Virgin and Child, traditionally said to have been painted by Saint Luke. Gonia means corner, as the monastery stands at the corner of the bay. The museum's icons include works from the 15th to 17th centuries, and the view over the gulf of Chania from the terrace is beautiful.

Around Platanias

Nearest town: Kissamos, about 16 km by road
Nearest airport: Chania airport (CHQ), about 44 km by road

The west of Crete is the island at its most dramatic. Chania has the most beautiful Venetian old town on Crete, wrapped around a harbour with a lighthouse and a domed mosque. In the evening the narrow lanes of Splantzia and the old Jewish quarter fill up with tavernas and small bars. More about Chania