Agios Panteleimon Monastery
Built at an altitude of 170 meters in a landscape with lush vegetation, it is 25 km from Heraklion and just 3 km from Fodele. The Monastery of Agios Panteleimon was founded at the beginning of the Turkish occupation and has played an essential role in the history of the time. It was founded by monks Makarios, Kosmas and Jeremiah of the old coastal monastery of Agios Antonios, which was destroyed by the Turks. The three monks were buried inside the church and their tomb is located at the door of the aisle of Agios Antonios. In 2008, during the excavation of the tombs, the bones of the three monks were found, which are kept in a wooden case. Today, the Monastery is maintained with only one monk.
In 1821, the monastery was transformed into a makeshift hospital. In 1866, the Petroulakis’ headquarters was installed in Agios Panteleimon, where 800 boxes of ammunition were stored and transported by the ships "Panellinion" and "Hydra". Unfortunately, in January 1974, a bulldozer demolished almost all the cells and other parts of the monastery. There were many buildings within the precinct of the Monastery, such as the abbot, the archontariki, the guest house, the factory of the olive mill, etc. Today, in the Monastery (which was built according to fortress architecture), the visitor can see the Catholicon, the courtyard, part of the fortification, remains of the factory, remains of rooms and the half-demolished building of the abbot. The fountain stands out, a vaulted rectangular building of 1866 with embossed floral decoration and two lions. The Monastery entrance, with an arched door, has a built-in arch key engraved with the date 1677.
The Katholikon is two-aisled, vaulted, in the shape of a basilica. Initially, the southern aisle was built in memory of Saint Panteleimon. In 1881, the northern aisle was expanded, which was established in memory of Agios Antonios (in memory of the old monastery) by monk Antonios Pediotis. To the right of the main entrance, the visitor can see the inscription: "THE GATE THAT LEADS TO LIFE IS NARROW AND THE STREET IS DESTROYED. 1677 ». This inscription reflects the anguish of the Christians of that time. From then until today, the Monastery has suffered significant damage during the Cretan Struggle. In the church, there are interesting icons, such as the High Priest (1837), the Root of Jesse (1782), Agios Dimitrios (1762) and Agios Georgios, an icon created by George Kastrofylakas. Four icons of the 17th century, by Michael Damaskinos, are also in good condition: the Second Coming, the dance of All Saints, Saint Onoufrios and Saint Gerasimos, as well as Archon Michael (work of the Cretan School).
One of the most important relics saved in the Monastery today is the part of the Holy Relic by Saint Panteleimon’s hand, which is kept in a silver case with relief representations of the Virgin Mary and the Saint. In 2002, the Holy Archdiocese of Crete decided to protect the relics and removed them from the Monastery. In 2006 (after the restoration of the Catholicon), the relics returned to their natural place.
Once you are in the Monastery of Agios Panteleimon, another surprise awaits you, beyond the beauty of the monument and the natural landscape. There is a small "ark" in the yard with a great variety of animals, some of which are rare (such as deer, kangaroos, etc.) Initially, the animals were on a farm in Sitia and then they were transferred to the Monastery complex to meet the two deer named Phoebus and Athena that were already there.