Chrysopigi Monastery
The Chrysopigi Monastery can be found 3km south of Chania city. Its temple features Mount Athos triconch architecture with a dome and is dedicated to the Panagia Zoodochos Pigi (Life Giving Virgin Mary) (celebrated on the Friday after Easter). Thousands of believers visit this monastery to pay their respects to the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary. The monastery complex has an elongated rectangular shape, with the temple at its center. The nuns’ cells and other buildings surround the temple, and their outer sides form a fortification wall. The arched gate of the monastery is located in the northern part of the wall.
The monastery sits close enough to the city to work as a short detour rather than a day trip. Chania lies 2.6 km away and the waterfront of Koum Kapi 2.7 km, so a visit fits either side of an afternoon in the old town.
History and the nunnery today
Throughout the centuries, the monastery has gone through periods of prosperity and decline. It has suffered numerous attacks and significant damages from Turkish and German conquerors of Crete. Since 1976, the monastery has been operating as a female nunnery. Today, the nuns engage in activities such as painting, preserving old books and icons, bookbinding, and ecclesiastical embroidery. The monastery is well-known for its ecological and environmental initiatives. The nuns organically cultivate around 130 acres of land, growing olive, tangerine, orange, avocado, fig, and apricot trees, as well as vegetable gardens. They primarily sell organic oil to promote organic farming. The monastery’s organic waste is converted into compost for use as fertilizers, and the rest is recycled. Additionally, the nuns offer environmental education programs for schoolchildren from all over Europe!
The museums at Chrysopigi
The monastery also looks after a second site in Varypetro. The restored Agia Kyriaki Monastery there, which houses the Orthodoxy and Ecology Center where educational programs are conducted. Furthermore, church and folklore museums operate in Chrysopigi, open daily from 8:00 to 12:00 and from 15:30 to 18:00. The church museum displays old icons, sacred vessels, ecclesiastical gold embroidery from the 18th and 19th centuries, crosses, blessings, books, official documents, and woodworks. Meanwhile, the folklore museum showcases folk embroidery, traditional costumes, examples of secular and ecclesiastical woodwork, photographs, paintings, traditional agricultural tools, and more.
The chapels of the monastery
Besides the church of Zoodochos Pigi, the monastery is home to chapels dedicated to St. John the Theologian (celebrated on September 26 and May 8), St. Catherine (November 25), St. Haralambos (February 10), St John Kalivitis (January 15), and St Arsenios from Cappadocia (November 10). Additionally, the Monastery of Agia Kyriaki (July 7) houses the church of the Transfiguration (August 6) and is near the cavernous chapels of St. Anthony (January 17), the Holy Seven Children (August 4), Saint Silouan the Athonite (September 24), and the Martyrs of Crete (June 23).
Things to do near Chrysopigi Monastery
5 stops sit within about 5 km of the monastery, listed here nearest first.
- Walk the old town. Chania is 2.6 km north, the nearest city and the reason most visitors are in the area.
- See a Minoan city under a modern one. The ruins of Minoan Kydonia lie 2.9 km away, inside Chania itself.
- Swim near the city. Nea Chora is 3.1 km off, Chrissi Akti 4.2 km and Agii Apostoli 4.9 km.
- Visit the monastery Chrysopigi restored. Agia Kyriaki at Varypetro stands 5.2 km away and holds the Orthodoxy and Ecology Center.
- Continue to Korakies. The Monastery of Saint John the Baptist is 5.5 km from Chrysopigi.
Getting to Chrysopigi Monastery
Drive 3 km south out of Chania city to reach the monastery. The way in is the arched gate in the northern part of the wall, with the nuns’ cells and the other buildings forming the wall around the church.
Other stops lie close by if you are making a half day of it. Souda is 4.2 km from the monastery, Kato Daratso 4.8 km and Kalamaki beach 5.9 km. Two gorges sit a little further out, Therisso Gorge at 8.3 km and Diktamos Gorge at 8.5 km.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Chrysopigi Monastery?
Chrysopigi Monastery stands 3 km south of Chania city. The old town is 2.6 km away and the Koum Kapi waterfront 2.7 km, which puts the monastery on the edge of the city rather than out in the country.
Can you visit Chrysopigi Monastery?
Yes, and 2 museums inside open daily from 8:00 to 12:00 and from 15:30 to 18:00. The church museum and the folklore museum are both part of the complex, and the monastery receives thousands of pilgrims who come for the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary.
Is Chrysopigi a monastery or a convent?
It has operated as a female nunnery since 1976. The nuns paint, bind books, conserve old books and icons, and work ecclesiastical embroidery.
What is Chrysopigi known for?
Its ecological work as much as its church. The nuns farm around 130 acres organically, growing olive, tangerine, orange, avocado, fig and apricot trees along with vegetable gardens, compost the organic waste, recycle the rest, and run environmental education programmes for schoolchildren from across Europe.
When is the feast day at Chrysopigi?
The Friday after Easter, the feast of the Panagia Zoodochos Pigi. The church carries that dedication, and its architecture follows the Mount Athos triconch plan with a dome.
What else does the monastery look after?
The restored Agia Kyriaki Monastery at Varypetro, 5.2 km away. That site houses the Orthodoxy and Ecology Center, the church of the Transfiguration, and several cavernous chapels nearby.
Location
Chrysopigi Monastery is located at Chrysopigi Monastery, in the Chania region of Crete. The map below shows the exact spot; Google Maps and Waze give turn-by-turn directions.
