Kapsa Monastery

Kapsa Monastery is built on a steep, rocky mountainside near the exit of the Perivolakia gorge, which offers picturesque views of the Libyan Sea. Kapsa monastery was most probably established in the fifteenth century, although no exact date of its establishment is known. In 1471, it was destroyed by pirates and as a result was then abandoned for centuries. In 1841, it was rebuilt by a hermit, who spent his last years in a nearby cave. Moni Kapsa is a metochion of Toplou monastery. During the Axis occupation of Crete, the monastery often sheltered Greek partisans and allied soldiers.

The main building (katholikon) is a two-nave church dedicated to St. John the Baptist. Today, Kapsa functions as a male monastery.

Address
Unnamed Road, Ierapetra, Greece

Established
15th century