The Agia Triada Monastery, located in the Akrotiri peninsula north of Chania is a must see if you wander in the area. You can stop here on your way to Seitan Limani or go for a visit after you arrive at the airport, as it is very close (3km – 5 mins drive).

The monastery was built in the 17th century by two brothers from the Venetian Zangaroli family, hence its alternate name of Agia Triada Tzagaroli. As almost all important monasteries in Crete (Arkadi, Toplou), it is a fortified one. The main church is built in the Byzantine cruciform architectural style with three domes and its patron is The Holy Trinity (Agia Triada in Greek).

Today the monastery is inhabited by monks, they produce and sell wine and olive oil on the premises. The fields surrounding the monastery are cultivated with vine and olive trees and they belong to the monastery. It also has a library which contains some rare books and a museum which contains mostly icons and codices. 

The main church has a beautiful decorated iconostas but the walls and ceiling are not decorated with frescoes, a common finding in almost all churches and monasteries in Crete. 

If you have visited other Orthodox churches, you might have noticed that all the walls and the ceiling are covered in paintings, depicting saints and important scenes from the Bible. Think of a little brother of the Sistine Chapel (of course, our churches were not painted by Michelangelo). Well, in Crete (at least) they used to be like this, too. For example, the Monastery of Kera Kardiotissa from Lasithi still has some of the original frescoes. But what happened? Why are walls and ceilings all white if the churches date back to centuries? Well, the answer simple: blame it on the Ottomans ☹. During their occupation, they wanted to transform all orthodox churches into mosques, and managed to do so with some important ones, such as Agios Titos from Heraklion and Agios Nikolaos from Chania, which has a Venetian bell tower AND a minaret. Minarets added to all Orthodox churches have been removed after the independence. Also, the Ottomans have destroyed or covered in plaster the frescoes, as the Muslim religion prohibits any form of idolatry meanwhile in the Orthodox church, the veneration of religious images, statues and icons is not only allowed, but obligatory. Also, some of them are considered to have miraculous powers, such as relics (parts from a saint’s body – St. Dimitris of Thessaloniki or the Myrrh-Gusher, Agios Nektarios in Aegina) or icons, mostly of the Virgin (or Theotokos – Mother of God), such as the Panagia Portaitissa from Mount Athos or Panagia Evangelistria from Tinos. 

As soon as you enter the church, if you look on the left wall, you will see an icon of Panagia Odigitria (She who leads the way). 

This icon can be easily recognized as such because the Virgin holds Christ in one hand and with the other points to Him. This silver covered icon caught my attention as on a string between the protecting glass and the icon there were some expensive jewels and watches. These are offerings or thank you gifts that people leave next to an icon, for helping them in time of great need. And when I saw a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust there, my heart broke. Not because of the watch. Can you imagine what someone has been through to leave an offering or to thank the Virgin with a watch worth over 15-20k euros?

Ever since, I keep thinking that we take things for granted and we are never pleased with what we have. When I see people asking for “smooth sand beach, shallow turquoise waters, all inclusive, hotel must be next to the beach, on the beach if possible” and when I see all the drama on FB that there were no available sunbeds or umbrellas or that they waited 30 mins for a coffee, I think of this immediately. We are so spoiled… Btw, if you didn’t know, worn Rolex watches are sold 3-4 times their original price, as they are limited edition and collectors and enthusiasts are willing to pay a fortune for them.

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How to get there:

· By car – it is the best option, as it is in a remote area with no bus stops

· Some local agencies from Chania organize a day trip here, usually combined with Zorba’s Beach and Allied War Cemetery in Souda. The trip is called day tour to Akrotiri peninsula, departing from Chania. The price is around 45 euros/person

· There are also tours dedicated to “ecclesiastical tourism”, which means that you will take a tour of the monasteries or churches in the area. These are usually organized “from home”, by local parishes in your city. 

· You can take a private tour, but it will be much more expensive, around 400 euros per group up to 3 or 4 people. Or hire a driver.

· Taxi is around 30 euros/one way. If you want the driver to wait, expect a fee as well

· You can take the bus to the airport and walk from there – it’s a 50 mins walk

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Good to know before you go:

· This is a holy place and inhabited by monks. Make sure you are properly dressed.

· Entrance fee is 3 euros, cannot be paid by card

· Have some cash with you, if you want to buy olive oil, wine and other products the monks are producing

· There is a large parking lot in front of the monastery

· If you arrive on a rainy day or you visit after a hike, make sure your shoes are clean before entering the church. The floor is covered in carpet.

· If you visit in the winter/early spring months, the inner yard has a lot of lemon and orange trees. Do not try to pick them, ask the monks if possible. The trees and the aromatic herbs are used by the monks

· Do not speak in loud voice and do not leave children unsupervised

· Do not enter areas that are under construction

· Divine Liturgy rite is performed here, please be considerate when arriving, especially in the evening hours

· Do not disturb the furry inhabitants. And do not feed them 😊 they are well taken care of