Sophia's House blog

Agia Triada Monastery

admin — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 21:28:56 +0000

Agia Triada Monastery

Agia Triada Monastery is situated on the northern side of the Akrotiri Peninsula, around 15Km from the picturesque city of Chania.

Agia Triada Monastery was built by two brothers, (Lavrentios and Ieremias) of the Veneto-cretan Tzagarolos family; These Cretan monks followed the family religion of the Orthodox.

The monastery was built at the site of a little church that was dedicated to the twelve apostles, in 1634, Iremias Tzagarolon, designed and directed the building of the monastery in 1611, but unfortunately died before its completion, so his brother Lavrentios undertook the remaining work.

The Agia Triada/Tzagarolon Monastery, is classed as one of the most respected and important monasteries on the Island, its influences are welcomed by the Cretan people Throughout the Islands education system.

This revered, important monastery has wonderful architecture, it is serene and beautiful, and well worth visiting.

When you pass through the gate into the courtyard, you are welcomed with the prettiness of the well cared for flora, oleander, bougainvillea, fruit trees and different seasonal flowers.

Apart from the grandeur of the tri-domed Venetian style church and its opulent interior, the monastery has its well stocked library that is home to many important publications and parchments. The monks produce wines, olive oil and honey that are available from the monastery visitor shop.

Agia Triada was used in the film Zorba the Greek, I’ve included a couple of shots from the film in the photos of Agia Triada Monestary below:

Photos of Agia Triada Monastery

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After leaving Agia Triada Monastery, continue along the road to Gouverneto Monastery, it s about 4Km along, the road twists and climbs through the rocky landscape and eventually reaches the parking area for Gouverneto Monastery.

Gouverneto Monastery

Gouverneto Monastery, Moni Gouvernetou dedicated to “Our Lady of Angels” was built in 1537 and is one of the oldest monasteries of Crete.

The monastery looks like a Venetian fortress, with its defence towers on each corner of the quadrangle, only two towers are intact, but the other two towers remains are visible from the courtyard.

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Germans used the monastery during WWII, setting up a guardhouse and controlling the surrounding areas, there were many encounters with the Cretan resistance.

There is a small chapel dedicated to “St John the Hermit” who founded the Gouverneto Monastery, There is a cave further down the Avlaki gorge, (there is a path to the left of Gouverneto Monastery that leads to it).

The Pathway is easy to walk down, just factor in time to make the assent back! (You may need to rest partway up!). And don’t forget to take plenty of water with you, its nice o sit on the grass covered bridge at the bottom and have a picnic.

After walking for 15-20 mins, you approach a little wooden gate; pass through the gate and into the mouth of the “Cave of the Bear”, Arkoudospilios, where you see the little chapel dedicated to the Presentation of Christ in the Temple.

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As you enter the actual cave, your eyes become adjusted and you notice the big hulk in the centre, this is a huge stalagmite that actually resembles a huge bear.

This cave has been used as a place of worship for thousands of years; there are inscriptions to Artemis and Apollo. Artemis was worshipped as a bear by the Pelasgians, hence “Cave of the Bear”.

Local legend tells of a great bear that lived within the cave, the bear drank water that dripped from the stalactites and formed pools n the rock. The monks, who had nothing to drink and were very thirsty, began to pray to the virgin for help, she heard their pleas and turned the bear to stone where he stood.

Keep following the path as it descends, steeply and twisting down the side of the Avlaki gorge, walk to the bottom of the flight of steps, cut into the rock is a small, deep, narrow cave used for worship, (we took pictures in here and found scary faces in the rock!).

photos of Katholiko Monastery

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At the bottom of the last flight of steps are the abandoned “Katholiko Monastery” and the little church dedicated to “St John the Hermit”. These are very isolated monasteries and were abandoned as a result of repeated attacks from pirates.

There is a bridge spanning the bottom of the gorge, we stopped here and had a picnic, then ventured on towards the little sea cove that was previously used as a harbour, the clear cool water looked really inviting but time was getting on and we had to climb all those steps back to the top, we rested a couple of times on the way up, it wasn’t too bad! I will definitely do this visit again.

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Hora Sfakion

admin — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 14:45:43 +0000

Hora Sfakion

Hora Sfakion is situated at the most southerly point of Europe. The majority of people visiting would have approached the village from the sea, disembarking from the ferryboat, after walking the “Samaria gorge” and meeting the boat at Agia Roumeli.

It is wonderful to drive to Hora Sfakion and the surrounding area, Dramatic landscapes unfurl before you, as you travel over the majestic White Mountains (Lefka Ori), and through the Impros gorge. The road from the north twists and turns, sometimes with a breath-taking steep drop down the side of the road. A trip to the region is a must, just for this scenic journey alone!

Hora Sfakion is a sweet little village with friendly shops and good value taverna’s. Most of the locals work as fishermen or ferry-men, the village was a significant port in Cretan history, shipping meats to Athens was one of the area’s main services.

Photos of Hora Skvakion

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Gavalohori

admin — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 14:49:15 +0000

Gavalohori

Gavalohori is a small, traditional village, situated about 3km south of the coastal village of Almyrida. Gavalohori offers, a couple of supermarkets, taverna’s and a local bakery as is found in most traditional Cretan villages.

Village life revolves around the square, where the tourists can get a taste of typical Cretan lifestyle, sit in the village kafinion, (next to the memorial for Crete’s independence) sipping strong, sweet Greek coffee and watch the world go by.

The name is taken from the Gavaladon family; they gained possession of the village in 1182 when Crete was diverted to the 12 young rulers of the byzantine era.

Galavahori has its own folk museum, showing many village artefacts and a lovely display of lace (Kopaneli) the lady on the desk was in the process of making lace when we visited.

There are beautiful walks in and around the village, discover the old olive press, visit the churches of Panagia and Agios Sergios.

Just a short walk from the village centre, are the Venetian wells, These vaulted, stone constructions once fed the whole village with water, now they only supply the local shepherds and their flocks.

Photos of Gavalohori

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Georgioupoli

admin — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 15:02:13 +0000

Georgioupoli

Situated on the north coast of Crete, between Chania(35km) and Rethimno (25km) lies the pretty fishing village of Georgioupoli, With it’s fabulous expanse of Pilot beach (the longest on the island).
Georgioupoli has a wonderful setting, the White Mountains dominate the landscape as you look up the valley from Georgioupolis, the traditional village square is surrounded by old eucalyptus trees, and the square has plenty of cafes, tavernas and tourist gift shops.

The Almiros River is protected from swimmers by a break-water to protect the wildlife which includes the green turtles that nest in the area.

On a small rock jetty, stands the tiny chapel dedicated to St Nicholas (patron saint of sailors).

Near to the village, situated on a small hill, are the ruins of the ancient Venetian village of Amfi-Mala.

Overall, Georgopoli, is a quaint, relaxing place that has visitors returning again and again.

Photos of Georgioupoli

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Frangokastello

admin — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 21:05:43 +0000

Frangokastello

Frangokastello is situated on the south western coast of Crete. Frangokastello is a little seaside village that sits on a small plain, overlooking are the majestic white mountains. The scenery is amazing in this area, it offers a lush landscape, deep gorges and impressive mountain ranges.

The village takes its name from the famous Venetian castle situated close to the seashore, in local terms it is known as ‘Kastelli Fragon’ (the castle of the Franks), others believe the name comes from the Italian for ‘brave castle’ (castle Franco).

The castle was built in 1371 to provide a refuge for the locals from the invading Turks, pirates and other invaders.

In 1828 during the fight for Crete’s independence, Hadzi Michali Daliani and his comrades fought within the fortress. They were slaughtered by the Turkish invaders. The lost souls of these brave men,(ghost’s of Daliani) are said to march out from the castle, as day dawn’s throughout the month of May.

You can easily imagine life within the fortress, It has survived time quite well, it is easy to see the seperate rooms that were used for storage, also present are the remains of barracks, stables and the bastions.

Photos of Frangokastello

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(English) Sophiashouse main site

admin — Sun, 29 May 2011 16:15:52 +0000

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Spili

admin — Fri, 27 May 2011 21:42:56 +0000

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Spinalonga

admin — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 22:02:29 +0000

Spinalonga

Spinalonga is famous in Greece as being the last ever active leper colony, throughout the whole of Europe.
The island of Spinalonga was used as a leper colony from 1903 until 1957, with the final inhabitant, who was a priest, eventually leaving in 1962.

The priest would have had to stay on the island to keep up the religious traditions of the Greek Orthodox churches, by commemorating the entombed individual at forty days then at six months, and again at the following one, three and five years after his or her death.

These days the Spinalonga islet is just one of the many major attractions associated with Crete.

Spinalonga has a history of turbulent and fierce battles with much suffering and hardship.

The strategy of the position of the Island, along with its rocky ruggedness can only aid the defence of Elounda harbour.

The actual name of the island is said to be associated with its shape, as it resembles a long and spiny thorn. (Spina longa).

When the island was no longer used as a leper colony in 1957, the Greeks proposed a new name for Spinalonga Island, “Kalydon”. This was a try at replacing the Latin with a Greek counterpart.

Boat trips to Spinalonga go on a regular daily basis throughout the summer months. When you visit the area, you will find many daily boat trips from Agios Nikolaos. If in the event, you feel like visiting Spinalonga as a last minute unplanned trip, then just head for the port of Elounda or Agios Nikolaos as you’ll find numerous boat trips sailing to the island.

Boats that sail from Agios Nikolaos in the mornings usually provide a luncheon as well as the chance to swim and snorkel off of the beaches situated around the Kolokytha Peninsula, before the returning trip to Agios Nikolaos, later in the day.

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From Elounda harbour, there’s a boat that sails to Spinalonga Island every hour all through the summer season, and it takes around half an hour to get to the island.

There are boats that sail from Plaka, a little village situated to the north of Elounda. The crossing time is a lot shorter, taking only ten or so minutes, because Plaka village is positioned nearer to Spinalonga than the other ports.

There are no boats or trips to Spinalonga Island during the wintertime, but if you would still like to visit Spinalonga, then you need to seek out the owner of a boat, to take you over to the island, but it wouldn’t be too hard finding someone – just enquire at the local waterside cafe’s and tavernas along Plaka’s shore, most locals have boats for fishing and Pleasure.

The time needed to see all of Spinalonga Island is between one to two hours.

Learn about the entire history and background of Spinalonga and its inhabitants, starting the Gatehouse, where the leprosy sufferers entered and caught their first glimpse of the islands interior, with its houses, church and hospital which cared and housed the lepers, until they were laid in their final place of rest within the tiny graveyard on Spinalonga island.

The Island of Spinalonga was made famous by the Author Victoria Hislop with her book “The Island”, the book was turned into a television series on Greek TV.

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Gortyn

admin — Sun, 30 May 2010 14:25:58 +0000

A History of Gortyn

Human occupation is evident at Gortyn from as far back as the Neolithic times, throughout the Minoan and Dorian periods, many artifacts found at Gortyn originated from these era’s. Gortyn is considered to have developed through the entire Minoan era; however, many may disagree with this theory.

It’s true that Gortyn was in exsistence within the heroic ages, Homer made reference to Gortyn and Plato complemented Gortyn in his own works.The city of Gortyn surpassed the prominence of Phaistos during the first millennium BC, Phaistos having been the most important city on Crete during Minoan times. The time scale of its great prosperity, however, coincided along with the Hellenistic era, Gortyn exceeded in force and prosperity when compared to the other cities of Crete and therefore Gortyn took the predominance within the island, ruling over the entire valley from Messara to Levina, and later during the 2nd century after the destruction of Phaistos extended its power to Matala.

Gortyn experienced prosperity and good relations with Ptolemy IV of Egypt. Under Roman rule Gortyn sided with the Romans and averted the disasters that lots of other Cretan cities suffered when they were attacked by Quintus Caecilius Metellius Cretecus around 68 BC. Gortyn achieved capital status during the Roman occupation, but raiding Arabs destroyed Gortyn in 828 AD.

One of the very first Christian places of worship was built at Gortyn, and today we see the ruins of the grand Cathedral (Basilica) dedicated to St Titus who was the primary bishop of Crete. The Cathedral was constructed during the 6th century; its cruciform structure contains 4 pillars which support the dome.

The Archaeology of Gortyn

Excavations of Gortyn were begun in 1894 by the Italian School of archaeology based at Athens. The excavations showed that Gortyn was inhabited around the Neolithic age. Ruins of the settlement on the citadel of Gortyn were found and dated to 1050 BC, their collapse dating in the seventh century BC. Later the site was fortified with a wall.

At the top of the hill inside the citadel a temple was found dating around the 7th century BC. In this area two embossed plates were found in addition to a few more sculptures and paintings and plenty of other clay figurines, black and red figure paintings were found in the temple. Graves dating around the geometric age were found on the south side of the citadel.

Concerning the lower town, the excavation uncovered the position for the Agora (market) and also the temple of Pythian Apollo, which is 600 meters from the Agora. Around the foot of Prophet Elias found traces of a sanctuary of Demeter.

Monuments in Gortyn

The heart of Roman Gortyn will be the Praetorium, the seat belonging to the Roman Governor of Crete. The Praetorium was built-in the first century AD, but it was altered significantly over the next eight centuries. Inside the same area, between the Agora plus the temple of Apollo is the ruins belonging to the Roman baths (thermae), along with the temple of Apollo, an honorary arch, and also the temple for the Egyptian deities using the worship statues of Isis, Serapis and Anubis. Components of the Roman settlement, for example the theatre (2nd century AD), were unearthed during excavations. The theatre has two entrances and a half-circular orchestra, the outline that may be seen today.

Behind the Roman Theatre is what has long been called the “Queen of the Inscriptions”. These inscriptions are the laws of the city of Gortyn that happen to be inscribed in the Dorian dialect on large stone slabs and still plainly visible.

The law code of Gortyn

The Gortyn code was discovered in 1884, it is the code of ancient Greek law. The remnants at Gortyn are the oldest and most complete examples in the world. Parts of the Gortyn code are displayed in museums including “The Louvre” in Paris. The remaining stones at the Gortyn site happen to be incorporated in to the structures surrounding the amphitheatre.

Europa and Zeus

In Classical Greek mythology, Zeus is said to have abducted the princess Europa. Zeus disguised himself as a bull and took Europa from Lebanon, There’s a Plane tree on the Gortyn site (close to the cafe) where it is stated, marks the spot where Zeus and Europa coupled. This lead to the birth of 3 offspring, Rhadamanthys, Sarpedon and Minos, all three became kings of palaces around Crete, The most famous one being Knossos under the rule of Minos, hence we obtain “MINOAN”.There were many different coins found on Crete, some have Europa represented on them, people honored Europa and her appearing on the coins showed this.

The Odyssey As outlined by Book III of Homer’s The Odyssey, Menelaus and his awesome fleet of ships, returning home from the Trojan War, were blown off course towards the Gortyn coastline. Homer describes stormy seas that pushed the ships against a sharp reef, ultimately destroying the majority of the vessels but sparing the crew.

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Knossos

admin — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 11:13:38 +0000

Knossos

Knossos had been indisputably the main city for Minoan Crete.
It really is grander, more advanced, and much more showy when compared with the various other palaces identified by everyone, and it’s found approximately 20 min to the south from the modern day harbour city named Heraklion.

Knossos was initially inhabited for many thousands of years, starting with neolithic settlements in the 7th millennium B . c ., and then had been completely abandoned following it’s destruction within 1375 B . c . which in turn symbolised the demise of the Minoan world.

The very first structure at the small hill near the Krairatos river, had been constructed about 1900 B . c . over the ruins from earlier settlements.
It had been ruined initially with all the various other Protopalatial palaces all-around The island in 1700 B . c ., most probably by way of a huge earthquake or maybe overseas invaders.
It had been quickly rebuilt into an extremely sophisticated development, right up until it’s abandonment.
The site ended up being damaged many times because of earthquakes, invasions,as well as in 1450 B . c . from the enormous volcanic eruption from Thira.
Plus the attack of the Mycenaeans, that implemented KNOSSOS into becoming their own capital when they reigned over the island of Crete right up until 1375 B . c.

Sir Arthur Evans, an English archaeologist excavated the KNOSSOS site in the year 1900 AD.
He restored significant aspects of the development in many ways, so it’s now conceivable to comprehend the particular magnificence and sophistication of the construction which progressed and grew over a number of millennia.
The site even expanded to take up around twenty thousand sq metres.

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Strolling throughout it’s intricate multi-storied complexes, it’s possible to understand precisely why the very palace of KNOSSOS ended up being linked to the mythological labyrinth.
In accordance with Traditional Greek mythology, the actual construction was first created by famous architect Dedalus, using such a complexity that no one put into the labrynth, could possibly have ever found their way out.

King Minos, whom commissioned the actual structure, subsequently, had the architect Deadalus imprisoned, to make sure that he wouldn’t disclose the exact construction system to anybody.

Dedalus, who was an excellent designer, constructed 2 pairs of wings, so that he and his boy Icarus, could fly off the island, and they did.
Concerned with their particular exit method, Dedalus cautioned Icarus to never fly very near the Sun, as the wax of which kept the actual wings assembled would certainly melt.

At a tragic shift in events, during their getaway Icarus, youthful and as impulsive as he turned out to be, travelled higher and higher before the solar rays softened and broke the wings, and the adolescent young man dropped to his death, down into the Aegean ocean.

The actual Labyrinth became the home for the “Minotaur” from Greek mythology,
many link the particular palace of KNOSSOS using the story for Theseus, which tells of him slaying the actual Minotaur.
The particular Greek fable from the palace regarding Theseus and also the Minotaur can be exciting, yet wandering throughout the ruins in KNOSSOS in the present day, it can be difficult for you to envision that it was a host to torment and killing.

The particularly exceptional decorative wall frescoes, which in turn tell’s us of the individuals who acknowledged the particular subtleties regarding daily life, along with the mysteries found in nature itself.

For any tourist these days, the space surrounding the ramp that leads towards the principal palace, instantly reveals a vibrant strata with ruins that may extend over millennia.

Left from the entry ramp, 3 huge kouloures which are in the form of huge rounded pits expose inside their deep base, the actual ruins of the Prepalatial construction.

The very palace for KNOSSOS, ended up being the centre of administration on the whole of the isle throughout Minoan periods, plus the situation therefore permitted for unparalleled development and wealth, as noticed through the array of storage magazines, work spaces, and also wall frescoes.

The elaborate Throne room featuring a gypsum throne, along with benches to allow for 16 people, a central courtyard, and then the theatre, combined with the royal chambers, portray KNOSSOS as being a community, associated with intricate traditions along with astonishing historic events.

The particular restorations carried out by Sir Arthur Evans are criticized as being imprecise, and there’s a sense of which the majority of the characteristics had been reconstituted (to make use of Evans’ expression) employing at most beneficial “educated guesses”.

To the tourist nevertheless, the actual restorations make the incomprehensive strata of the ruins, with their earlier magnificence a little more evident, They also deliver that majesty, associated with Minoan lifestyle in the palace at Knossos.

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