Gouverneto Monastery

Chaniá, Greece

Gouverneto Monastery is a Greek Orthodox monastery in the Akrotiri peninsula of the Chania regional unit. Dated to 1537 (although other sources say 1548), the monastery is a Venetian style fortress with towers at each end with some Baroque influences added later. It measures roughly 40 metres by 50 metres and contains some 50 monks’ cells on two floors.

Gouverneto is reputed to be one of the oldest monasteries in Crete, and a 1637 census, recorded shortly before the Turkish invasion, revealed that at the time there were 60 monks living in Gouverneto Monastery, also making it one of the largest in Crete at the time. The courtyard is rectangular shaped and is dominated by a dome church dedicated to the virgin and has an ornate Venetian facade. The chapel in the courtyard is reported to have some of the oldest frescoes in Crete.

To the west side of the monastery is the narthex, and contains chapels dedicated to St John the Hermit and the Ten Holy Martyrs. There are some notable monsters carved in relief on the front of the church. A cave called Arkouditissa or Arkoudia, is also located in the vicinity where the goddess Artemis was once worshiped.

During World War II, the Germans established a guardhouse in the monastery to regulate the area and since 2005 it has undergone restoration work by the monks. The monastery has strict rules, and forbids smoking and photography inside the monastery and is officially closed on Wednesdays and Fridays.

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Address

Unnamed Road, Chaniá, Greece
See all sites in Chaniá

Details

Founded: 1537
Category: Religious sites in Greece

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

David Hadley (5 months ago)
A beautiful monastery well worth a visit.
Thierry Poron (5 months ago)
It is a very nice place and the beginning of a great walk from De Gouverneto to get to the Katholiko bay in about 40 min. The ruins of the Katholiko monastery are on the same path at mid way. Car park is large and free. The path has some construction and some of it is without construction. You need walking shoes because there's a lot of stones.
Florian Reining (6 months ago)
Picturesque little monastery with friendly monks. Kids enter for free, adults 2,50€. Cats watch the entrance
Melanie Marcus (2 years ago)
Beautiful Monastery in the hills of Chania Crete. Make sure you do the hike down to the stone bear and St. John's bedroom. It's a hard hike down and back up to pack lots of water and snacks. Definitely wear hiking boots and start as early as possible
marlene denis (2 years ago)
One of the best hike I've ever done! It took us 3h30 to go down to Katholico Monastery, and down to the sea, and come up. You really need a lot of water and some snacks if the weather is hot! The ruins of the monastery are incredible. It took maybe 20 more minutes to go down to the sea, but so worth it... be ready to "climb" a little for that part. Definitely manageable, but maybe not for small kids. We got to swim in crystal clear water and cool down. Magical. ? Bring cash, they don't take card as it's really isolated. 2.50€ per person.
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