Abbeys monasteries and convents Crete

Founded in the 16th century, and more precisely in 1594, as testified by the date engraved on one of the bells of the monastery, most probably by a monk from the family of Preveli, it has played for several centuries an important role as a center of studies (its library is particularly rich) and of conservation of certain artistic traditions (paintings, icons, woodcarvings). Its history is closely linked to the periods of resistance to the various occupiers: the monks often directly supported the rebels, especially during the Cretan revolutions of 1821-1823 and 1866-1869 against the Ottomans. During the Great Battle of Crete in 1941, many British, New Zealand and Australian soldiers took refuge there before being evacuated by the beach below in the direction of Alexandria in Egypt with the help of submarines. Part of the monastery was destroyed in retaliation by the Germans in 1941 and all the monks were taken hostage. The present buildings dating from different periods offer a pleasant ensemble. The monastery museum, built in the former stables, houses an exhibition of one hundred Byzantine icons (17th-19th centuries) of great artistic and historical value. Many of them are representative of the influence that Flemish art of the first half of the 17th century had on the austere Greek art of the Orthodox dogma. The museum also contains various liturgical objects and offerings from grateful British soldiers.