Myriokefala Church, Rethymno, Greece

The Church of Panagia ton Myriokefalon in the village of Myriokefala served as the catholicon of the Monastery of Panagia Antifonitria, dating back to the 11th century, which has not survived.

The Monastery was built by Ossios Ioannis Xenos and remained in operation until the early 20th century. Apart from the catholicon, the remaining buildings date back to the 18th and 19th century.

The catholicon belongs to the architectural style of free cross with dome. There are two layers of murals in the church, one dating back to the 11th and the other to the 13th century. The icon of the Virgin Mary in the church is considered miraculous.

References:

Destination Crete

Religious sites in Greece

User Reviews

Mirek Zabski (2 years ago)
It's another interesting historical place in the Rethymno regional unit, Crete Island. It is a particularly riveting place for buffs of Greek history and the Greek Orthodox church. A religious site was founded in this place around 1020 C.E. Myriokephalon village is a small village. To find a place for the car park may be a problem. I recommend visiting in the afternoon because there is much less tourist traffic and no hassle with a place for your car. You will see the time-honoured Church of Our Lady, a museum and a shop selling liturgical items. Toilets are available. I visited in October 2023.

Michael Kieval (2 years ago)
Small, simple church is interesting for its age and the even older frescoes it contains. (We did not get to see the famous icon.) The free museum next door contains mostly 19th and 20th century religious objects, but also an older, interesting stamp seal of the monastery. Worth stopping if you are nearby.

Папа (4 years ago)
A really historical church built hundred years ago and attracts extremely many orthodox people at the days of 7-8th of September,its a really big event, definitely worth seeing it.

GREECE PLUS (4 years ago)
Very interesting visit, if you appreciate truly old paintings.

Tomasz Baziuk (6 years ago)
A beautiful monastery with perfectly preserved frescoes

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