GOUVERNETO MONASTERY
The Gouverneto Monastery or Our Lady of the Angels is located on the Akrotiri Peninsula, at the entrance to the Avlaki Gorge – it is a Greek Orthodox monastery – the oldest monastery in Crete.
The Agia Triada Monastery is about 4 km, city of Chania is 20 km.
1537 – the year the monastery was founded, but according to some sources, the year of the foundation was 1548.
As it had a huge real estate wealth, it played a decisive role in the economic life of Crete.
1637 – before the Turkish invasion, according to the census: 60 monks lived in the convent of Gouverneto.
Characteristics of the monastery:
– it’s like a Venetian-style fortress
– the Venetian influence is strong in its architecture
– the Baroque effect can be felt during the later reconstructions
– basic size 40m x 50m
– originally: the two-storey building had 4 towers
– only two of the towers remain today
– there were rooms for 50 monks on the two floors
– the courtyard is rectangular
– church works and other valuable relics can be seen in the church museum of the monastery
The monastery has strict rules:
– Photography is FORBIDDEN inside the monastery
– officially closed on Wednesdays and Fridays
Gouverneto Monastery Opening Hours:
Monday: open 09:00 – 11:00 and 17:00 – 20:00
Tuesday: open 09:00 – 11:00 and 17:00 – 20:00
Wednesdays: closed
Thursdays: open 09:00 – 11:00 and 17:00 – 20:00
Friday: closed
Saturday: open 09:00 -12:00 and 17:00 – 19:00
Sunday. open 09:00 -12:00 and 17:00 – 19:00
Saint Anthony monastery at Akrotiri
Starting from the Gouverneto monastery, the Avlaki gorge unfolds before us. Ruins of the Saint Anthony (Agios Antonios) monastery, on the left side of the gorge. The monastery was founded in the late 16th century by the monks of the nearby Katholiko Monastery, so it originally belonged to the Katholiko Monastery. But later the Gouverneto convent took control of the Saint Anthony monastery.
After the Turkish destruction of July 1, 1889, the monastery ceased to function.
Today, the monastery has been completely abandoned, only its ruins can be seen.
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