Toplou Monastery

Next is a visit to the Toplou Monastery, located about 20 km from Sitia. It is believed to have been built in the 15th century but was destroyed in 1612 by an earthquake. It was then rebuilt with financial support from the Venetians who ruled the island, but was destroyed again during the Ottoman occupation and rebuilt in more recent years. The monastery was at its peak in the 14th and 15th centuries, with a large number of important Byzantine icons from that period, a development of Constantinople painting that gradually spread to Crete after the fall of the city. The high artistic value of the icons is also indicative of the high level of education of the monks of the monastery. In the exhibition on site, you can find and purchase handmade icons that are still made today by the monastery's monk iconographers.

Out of respect for the monastery, visitors are required to dress modestly.