Arkadi Monastery
Arkadi Monastery is a fortified Orthodox monastery about 23 km south-east of Rethymno, dedicated to the Transfiguration of the Saviour and to Saints Constantine and Helen. Arkadi is known above all for the siege of November 1866, which ended when its defenders blew up the powder magazine with the Ottoman army inside the walls.
The Greek Ministry of Culture describes the monastery as the most characteristic example of the Cretan Renaissance. Its church, built between 1572 and 1587, carries a carved stone facade that shows the direct influence of the Italian architects Sebastiano Serlio and Andrea Palladio.
The founding and the Renaissance church
Arkadi Monastery was founded, by tradition, around the 11th century by a monk called Arkadios, though the monastery itself says the exact date is unclear. The first confirmed records of Arkadi date from the early 16th century, when a small single-aisled church stood on the site, dedicated to Saints Constantine and Helen.
The monastery changed in 1572. Under its owner, Matthaios Kallergis, and its abbot, Klimis Chortatzis, Arkadi became a communal monastery, and work began on a new two-aisled church with a facade of carved porous stone. A relief inscription at the base of the bell tower gives the year 1587, and the church was complete by then.
The rest of the complex followed between 1670 and 1714, according to its surviving inscriptions and the historical sources. The whole is a typical example of the Mannerist architecture that prevailed in Venetian Crete from the mid-16th century, and many of its building phases date from after the destruction of 1866.
The siege of Arkadi in 1866
The siege of Arkadi in 1866 is the event the monastery is remembered for. During the Cretan revolt of that year, the monastery was the seat of the local revolutionary committee, under its abbot, Gabriel Marinakis.
More than 900 people were inside the walls, fighters together with villagers from the surrounding area. The siege lasted two days, on 8 and 9 November 1866. It ended when Konstantinos Giaboudakis blew up the gunpowder stored in the old wine cellar, and the explosion killed defenders and attackers alike.
The powder magazine survives inside the complex. The monastery has placed in it a copy of a painting of the event by Vryzakis, whose original hangs in the National Gallery in Athens. The anniversary is marked with commemorative events organised by the Regional Unit of Rethymno.
The monastery buildings today
The monastery buildings form a four-sided complex measuring up to 73.80 by 78.80 m, enclosing a large courtyard with the church. Each wing had its own purpose, which the Ministry of Culture records in detail.
- The west wing holds the main gate with its arched passage, with vaulted storerooms on the ground floor and monks’ cells above.
- The north wing contains the modern abbot’s house, which replaced the destroyed original, and a doorway into the courtyard of the refectory.
- The range east of the refectory holds the kitchens, the oven, the kneading room, food stores and two-storey cells, on either side of a vaulted hall, the sarnitsi, which has a cistern of the same size beneath its floor.
- The south wing holds the Mesokoumia, a vaulted arcade where the old and sick monks lived, and the vaulted stores for oil and wine.
The stables stand outside the walls to the west, three vaulted rooms built in 1714.
Manuscripts, embroidery and the museum
Arkadi was a centre of education, manuscript copying and gold embroidery for much of its history. In the 17th century the monks copied manuscripts, work that brought the monastery income. Many of the monastery’s manuscripts are now held in libraries abroad.
In the 18th century the monastery ran a gold embroidery workshop. The monks stitched church vestments with gold and silver thread and sold them to churches and monasteries in other countries. Many of these vestments are shown in the monastery museum, which the Ministry of Culture places in newer buildings above the old storerooms.
Things to do near Arkadi Monastery
Arkadi Monastery has 6 gorges, villages and ancient sites within 8 km, listed below from nearest to furthest.
- Hike the Arkadi gorge, which starts just north of the monastery and runs about 4.5 km to Pikris in roughly 2 hours.
- Visit the village of Pikris, 3.9 km north, where the gorge trail ends.
- See the remains of ancient Eleftherna, 5.0 km north-east.
- Walk the Margarites gorge, 6.2 km north-east.
- Visit the pottery village of Margarites, 6.3 km north-east.
- Try the Patsos gorge, 7.7 km south-west.
Getting to Arkadi Monastery
Arkadi Monastery lies about 23 km south-east of Rethymno, inland from the north coast. Rethymno is the nearest city, and the village of Pigi lies 7.7 km north-west of the monastery.
The monastery sells entry tickets online through its own website, and gives +30 28310 83136 for visitor information.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Arkadi Monastery?
Arkadi Monastery is about 23 km south-east of Rethymno, inland in the Rethymno region of Crete.
What happened at Arkadi Monastery in 1866?
In November 1866 the Ottoman army besieged more than 900 people inside the monastery for two days, and the siege ended when the defenders blew up the powder magazine. Konstantinos Giaboudakis set off the gunpowder, and the explosion killed defenders and attackers.
When was the church at Arkadi built?
The church at Arkadi was built between 1572 and 1587, and an inscription at the base of the bell tower gives the year 1587.
Who founded Arkadi Monastery?
Tradition credits a monk called Arkadios, around the 11th century. The first confirmed records date from the early 16th century.
Can you buy tickets for Arkadi Monastery online?
Tickets can be booked online through the monastery’s own website, and the monastery gives +30 28310 83136 for information.
Location
Arkadi Monastery is located at Arkadi Monastery, in the Rethymno region of Crete. The map below shows the exact spot; Google Maps and Waze give turn-by-turn directions.
