The
monastery of Arkadi is located 22 km south-east of Rethymno. It is a symbol
of the Cretan fight for liberty and independence from the Turks. There
are many versions concerning its date of establishment. It is said to have
been built by emperor Arkadios in the 5th century, or, between 961 - 1204
AD by the monk Arkadios or, in the 14th century by the Venetians. During
the 16th-18th century, the monastery thrived, owning a great fortune, a
rich library and a workshop of golden embroideries and sacred vestments.
November 7th 1866, while the leaders of the Cretan Revolution had gathered
in the monastery, On abbot Gabriel Marinakis refused to deliver them to
Mustafa Pasha and the Turks, thus resulting in a tight siege of the monastery.
After resisting for two days, the 964 Greeks - fighters, monks, women and
children - chose to blow up the gun powder room and die rather than surrender
to the Turks. The monastery’s exterior is very impressive with thick (1.20
m wide) walls, while the church, built in 1587, is dedicated to St. Constantinos
and the Metamorphosis of the Saviour.
The monastery includes a guesthouse
and an altar with an ossuary, where the bones of the Cretan warriors are
kept, and a small collection of ecclesiastic heirlooms, post-Byzantine
icons, vestments and documents concerning the monastery's history. |
