1. Rethymno – Arkadi MonasteryAmong the important sites near Rethymno is the Arkadi Monastery, a sacred symbol of liberty. It Stands 22 km. along the road from Rethymno to Herakleio, on the edge of a fertile plateau, with a view to the hills behind and down the sea.
The inaccessibility of the site on which the monastery stands combined with the manner of its construction – with high thick walls – to determine the history. The monastery consists of a fortified block with two main entries, guesthouses, a refectory, cellars and a gunpowder store. It may have been founded in the second period of Byzantine rule (by a monk called Arkadios), or perhaps in the sixteenth century, if we were to believe the inscriptions on the bell tower. 
The main church is a two-aisled basilica dedicated to St. Constantine and the Transfiguration of Our Lord. On 7-9 November each year, there are celebrations to mark the anniversary of the holocaust of the Monastery, which took place in 1899, when its defenders blew the gunpowder store – and themselves – so as to not fall into the hands of the Turks. In the museum of the Monastery you can find a collection of remains, including the bones of the freedom fighters killed when the Monastery exploded. Copyright © 2007-2008 Crete-Travel-Guide.com. All rights reserved. |
