Arsaniou Monastery
Arsaniou Monastery is a men’s monastery dedicated to Saint George, near the village of Pangalochori and about 11 km east of Rethymno on the north coast of Crete. Arsaniou dates from the Venetian era, and the buildings around its courtyard range from a north wing with door frames dated 1645 to a church built in 1888.
The Ephorate of Antiquities of Rethymno, part of the Greek Ministry of Culture, lists Arsaniou among the monastic complexes on its Digital Cultural Routes of Rethymno. The monastery stands a short way inland, close to the villages and beaches of the coast east of the city.
The history of Arsaniou Monastery
Arsaniou Monastery was built in the late 16th or early 17th century, according to the Ephorate of Antiquities of Rethymno, which dates it from the surviving architecture and from written sources. The monastery may be older still. The writer Nikos Psilakis suggests it could go back to the second Byzantine period, which on Crete ran from 961 to 1204.
Building work was under way shortly before the Ottoman conquest. A lintel over the door of the refectory carries the date 1645, the year before the Ottomans took the area in 1646.
The monastery kept operating after the conquest, and in the early 19th century it housed a school. An earthquake in 1856 caused serious damage to the complex. The present church went up in 1888, on the site of the original church it replaced.
What survives at Arsaniou Monastery today
Two building phases survive at Arsaniou today, more than two centuries apart. The north wing belongs to the original complex and keeps its characteristic door frames dated 1645. The church, or katholikon, is the building of 1888: a cruciform basilica with a dome, dedicated to Saint George.
The church stands at the north-east edge of the complex rather than at its centre. Discover Crete, the Region of Crete’s official tourism portal, compares that arrangement with the layout of Catholic monasteries.
The monastery keeps a collection of old books, gospels, vestments, sacred vessels and portable icons, according to the Ephorate. Two Greek works cover its history. M. Troulis published a history of the monastery from its foundation to the present in Rethymno in 1992, and Arsaniou has its own entry in the survey Christian Monuments of Crete, published in Heraklion in 2012.
The name and the feast of Saint George
The name Arsaniou is traditionally traced to a monk called Arsenios. The monastery’s feast day belongs to its patron saint: Arsaniou celebrates Saint George on 23 April, the date the Orthodox Church keeps for him.
Things to do near Arsaniou Monastery
The monastery has 7 villages and beaches within 6 km, listed below from nearest to furthest.
- Walk to the nearest village, Sfakaki, 0.9 km north-west.
- Reach the sea at Skaleta beaches, 1.7 km north.
- Visit Pigianos Kampos, 2.2 km west.
- Drive to the village of Pigi, 2.4 km south-west.
- Swim at Adelianos Kambos beach, 4.1 km west, on the stretch of coast running towards Rethymno.
- Continue west to Platanes beach, 5.7 km from the monastery.
- Find the pebble cove at Spilies, 5.8 km north-east.
Getting to Arsaniou Monastery
Arsaniou Monastery lies about 11 km east of Rethymno, a short way inland near Pangalochori. The north coast national road follows this shore, and the village of Skaleta sits 2.6 km north-east of the monastery on the way east towards Geropotamos beach.
Rethymno is the nearest city, to the west. Crete’s two main airports, at Heraklion and Chania, both serve the Rethymno area, which lies between them on the north coast. Inland, the village of Pikris sits 4.4 km south-east of the monastery.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Arsaniou Monastery?
Arsaniou Monastery is near the village of Pangalochori, about 11 km east of Rethymno, a short way inland from the north coast of Crete.
When was Arsaniou Monastery built?
Arsaniou Monastery was built in the late 16th or early 17th century, according to the Ephorate of Antiquities of Rethymno. The church standing today is later, from 1888.
Who is Arsaniou Monastery dedicated to?
Arsaniou Monastery is dedicated to Saint George, and it celebrates his feast on 23 April.
What is the oldest part of the monastery?
The oldest surviving part is the north wing, whose door frames are dated 1645. It survives from the original complex, built before the Ottoman conquest of the area in 1646.
Why is the layout of Arsaniou unusual?
The layout is unusual because the church stands at the north-east edge of the complex instead of at its centre, an arrangement Discover Crete compares with Catholic monasteries.
How did Arsaniou Monastery get its name?
The name is traditionally traced to a monk called Arsenios.
Location
Arsaniou Monastery is located at Arsaniou Monastery, in the Rethymno region of Crete. The map below shows the exact spot; Google Maps and Waze give turn-by-turn directions.
