Epanosifis Monastery, Archánes-Asteroúsia, Greece

Epanosifis (Upper Sifis) is one of the largest and richest monasteries on Crete. It flourished during the era of Ottoman rule and is dedicated to Saint George.

The structure of the monastery is reminiscent of 17th century secular Cretan architecture with independent cells, one built next to each other. The Refectory and the priory are located west of the church.

The surviving manuscripts, dating back to the 18th century onwards, prove that this was the greatest period of flourishing for the monastery, during which it was one of the premier intellectual centres of the island.

During the revolution of 1821, 18 monks were killed and the monastery was abandoned, before being reconstructed during the era of Egyptian rule.

Visitors to the small museum of religious art can see icons, holy relics and manuscripts from the 18th century containing both texts and exceptional illustrations.

The great number of monks at the Monastery confirms the great monastic tradition of Crete.

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Destination Crete

Sigmaringen Castle

Sigmaringen Castle was first mentioned in the year 1077 in the chronicles of Petershausen monastery. The oldest parts of the castle are concealed beneath the alterations made during the 17th and the 19th centuries. The secret of the earliest settlement built on this defendable rock will never be fully revealed: large-scale excavation work would be necessary, which the extensive land development renders impossible. Judging from the many Roman remains unearthed in the area around Sigmaringen, the 12th century keep known as the 'Roman Tower' could be traced back to a Roman predecessor.

The castle remains that have been preserved (gate, great hall and keep) date back to the Staufer period around 1200. The castle remains were integrated into subsequent buildings. The foundations of the castle buildings are to a large extent identical to the surrounding castle wall.

These remains give us a good idea of how the castle might have looked during the 12th century.

Becky Wright (2 years ago)
Stunning and very interesting.

Efstathios Molyvas (2 years ago)
Paradise

Theo (3 years ago)
Thank you for allowing us to visit.

Memmou Aristi (3 years ago)
Very beautiful place. It worths a visit.

Antonis M. (3 years ago)
Another historic monastery Outside Heraklion, you should visit it to see the beautiful church and the view that they have.

Epanosifis Monastery

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