The Holy Monastery of Toplou is located 10 kilometers east of Sitia and it is one of the most important monasteries of Crete. It is dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary and to Saint John, the Apostle, and its old name is Panagia Akrotiriani. (Mary form the Peninsula)
It was built in the 14th century, flourished in the 15th century and by the 16th century it had acquired untold wealth due to donations from the faithful people of Sitia. Its property had reached 60,000 acres. It was a monastic center and attraction for many monks from the wider area.
The location of the monastery, in a deserted and inaccessible area, caused its systematic looting by Turkish pirates. The monastery was rebuilt by Venetian Cretan families. It was built with fortress architecture on three floors with ramparts and cannons. The façade with its Renaissance-style gable form also has the catachytra, a funnel-like outlet, from which hot oil and lead were thrown to the pirates and invaders. To the west of the entrance door, there is the 33-meter-high Renaissance bell tower. There is, also, a well in the inner courtyard. Tradition says that the monastery has 100 doors but 99 have been counted. Kitchens, ovens, guest houses, storerooms, cells and an abbot are located in the monastery.
The history of the monastery is very long and great. During the years of the Turkish rule, the monastery developed national and social work and its contribution to the revolution of 1821 against the Turks was decisive. After the Revolution, it functioned as a School and the graduates distinguished themselves in the local community. During the German Occupation, the Monastery was a refuge for the fighters of the national resistance.
The church exhibits excellent icons, such as the 15th century Christ the Almighty, by Andreas Ritzos, a leading Cretan painter and one of the founders of the Cretan School, and the icon 'Great is the Lord', 1770 by Ioannis Kornaros, with sixty-one representations from the life cycle of Jesus. In two spaces, appropriately designed as a museum and a library, important pictures, old books, manuscripts and engravings, official orders, seals, revolutionary banners and many other items of museum and historical value are exhibited. In the sacristy of the Monastery, parts of holy relics of saints, Saint Anastasia of Farmakolytria, Saint martyr Charalambous, Saint Jacob the Apostle, etc. are kept.
The Toplou monastery has always had an active presence in the social and wine history of the place. Nowadays, it has become one of the most important centers of organic grape and olive cultivation. Wine, raki and olive oil are produced and packaged in the modern, visitable winery, distillery, olive oil press and olive oil standardization facilities, where the visitor can taste them. The products are available in the local and international market. The cultivation of the vineyards of the monastery is done with certified organic methods and the selection of varieties has been made based on the special characteristics of the area.
The monastery is celebrated on June 26, the day of the massacre of the Fathers of the Monastery by the Turks. A visit to the Monastery can be combined with a drive to the nearby beaches of Vai and Ancient Itanos and it is well worth it.
(more articles about Crete on www.gomega.gr)
