GONIA MONASTERY
Monastery dedicated to the Virgin of Angels with a museum with a collection of Byzantine icons.
The monastery we see today dates from the 17th century, although it was founded as early as the 9th century in Menies, north of the Rodopos peninsula. The original site was abandoned over the centuries after suffering numerous pirate raids. The monks moved to the entrance of the peninsula in the 13th century, to a better protected site (now the monastery cemetery). The construction of the complex began in 1618 and was completed in 1634, the date inscribed on the dome of the monastery. The history of this monastery dedicated to the Virgin of the Angels is marked by many destructions (1645 and 1652), notably due to the Ottomans (1822, 1841 and 1867). From the terrace overlooking the sea (a beautiful view), we can still see a testimony of these attacks: a cannonball, embedded in the facade and fired by a ship of the Turkish fleet. From 1942 until the liberation of Crete, the German occupiers transformed the monastery into a military camp.
The monastery once contained a unique library, consisting of many original copies, but it was completely destroyed in a mysterious fire. As in most of the other monasteries on the island, you will find a fine collection of Byzantine icons (17th and 18th centuries) in the small museum to the left of the central church. Among these icons, the works of Parthenios, D. Sgouros, representative of the Cretan school. The annual ceremony of the monastery takes place on August 15. Below, hidden from view, a small sandy beach.
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dans le magasin on peut trouver des specialités locales et (huile miel etc ) artisanales