Agios Panteleimon Monastery ( el, Μονή Αγίου Παντελεήμονος), dedicated to

Saint Pantaleon Saint Pantaleon ( el, Παντελεήμων, russian: Пантелеи́мон, translit=Panteleímon; "all-compassionate"), counted in the West among the late-medieval Fourteen Holy Helpers and in the East as one of the Holy Unmercenary Heale ...

, is an

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or " canoni ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whic ...

situated on the island of

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cypru ...

, Greece.

History

The monastery was presumably founded in the 17th century by some monks fleeing from their original monastery located on the seashore near Sisses, which had been destroyed by

pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

s; nowadays the only remaining building is a chapel. Actually the small size and the relative remoteness of the town of

Fodele Gazi ( el, Γάζι) is a Western suburb of Heraklion and a former municipality in the Heraklion regional unit of Crete in Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it has been part of the municipality Malevizi, of which it is a municipal u ...

were responsible for the preservation of the new monastery from the devastations occurring in other parts of Crete. But the monastery was subject to several damaging events and transformations over the centuries. Throughout the

Ottoman Ottoman is the Turkish spelling of the Arabic masculine given name Uthman ( ar, عُثْمان, ‘uthmān). It may refer to: Governments and dynasties * Ottoman Caliphate, an Islamic caliphate from 1517 to 1924 * Ottoman Empire, in existence fro ...

occupation of the island it played an important role in supporting Cretan rebels, and during the 19th century was used as a

field hospital A field hospital is a temporary hospital or mobile medical unit that takes care of casualties on-site before they can be safely transported to more permanent facilities. This term was initially used in military medicine (such as the Mobile A ...

. The few monks still living there celebrate the feast of

, the patron of bakers, every year, on July the 27th.

Description

Agios Panteleimon is located west of

Heraklion Heraklion or Iraklion ( ; el, Ηράκλειο, , ) is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in Greece with a population of 211,370 (Urban ...

, some 5 km from the center of

, in the

Malevizi Malevizi ( el, Μαλεβίζι) is a municipality in Heraklion regional unit, Crete, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town of Gazi. The municipality has an area of . Municipality The municipality Malevizi was formed at the 2011 local ...

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality ...

, outside of the main touristic routes. A tiny, asphalted road links it to Fodele along a shady valley with rich vegetation. The complex, along with several other Cretan monasteries, reflects a

Venetian Venetian often means from or related to: * Venice, a city in Italy * Veneto, a region of Italy * Republic of Venice (697–1797), a historical nation in that area Venetian and the like may also refer to: * Venetian language, a Romance language s ...

fortress plan, although very few of its buildings are in a good state nowadays. The church has two

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-typ ...

s, one of which is dedicated to Saint Antony, the other to

. It possesses some noteworthy icons, although many of the other valuable icons that once belonged to the monastery are now exhibited in the Religious Art Museum of

References

{{Portal, Greece, Religion Buildings and structures in Heraklion (regional unit) Monasteries in Crete Greek Orthodox monasteries in Greece