Gouverneto Monastery – Saint Trinity Monastery – Prophet Elijah’s Church and Venizelos Tombs
In this excursion we will find ourselves in the wider region of Akrotiri near Chania Airport Daskalogiannis. We will climb towards our destination from the Vlites area and get a glimpse of the fascinating view down to the Souda bay and to the imposing White Mountains standing right over it.
Our first stop, the Monastery of Gouverneto. Built in 1537, Gouverneto is one of the oldest monasteries in Crete. Also known as the “Lady of Angels”, the monastery is situated approximately 19 kilometers away from the city of Chania. Its structure is heavily influenced by the Venetian architecture, since it was during the Venetian occupation in Chania that its construction began. In its original form it had 4 towers – 2 of which are perfectly preserved until today- and 50 cells for its monks. The main church of the monastery is dedicated to Madonna, while a chapel standing a few meters away was built in memory of the monastery’s founder, Saint John the Hermit. A restoration project began in 2005 following the initiative of the monks living there at the time to preserve that historical monastery at the best possible shape.
Just 4km away from Gouverneto and in the middle of a fertile valley, we make our next stop. Another historical Monastery of Crete, Agia Triada of Tzagarolon. Buit in 1634, Agia Triada is one of the most impressive Christian monasteries you have ever seen. The highlight here are definitely the doric columns found at the facade of the building. Equally impressive is the history of this monastery as well as its massive impact on education across the entire island of Crete.
Last but not least, a short stop at the hills of Prophet Elijah’s church (Venizelos Tombs), where you can have the best panoramic view of the city of Chania. Apart from the extraordinary view, the visitor here can spend a few minutes to visit 2 other important sites, namely the Tombs of Venizelos and the statue of Spiros Kagialedakis or Kagiales. The most important Geek Prime Minister and politician, Eleytherios Venizelos was buried here in 1936 upon his request. Almost 30 years later, his son Sophocles, also Prime Minister of Greece for almost 10 years (1943-52) took his place opposite his great father. A few meters away from the tombs, a statue dedicated to the memory of another great Cretan is found. Spiros Kagialedakis or Kagiales in February 9th , 1897 during the Cretan Revolution against the Turks conquerors and in the middle of a major naval bombarding used his body as a pole to raise the Greek flag up in the sky, showing the determination of an entire people to live free and proud.
Duration: 3 hours
Cost: 80 euros
Theme: Bits of local religion and history