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Kapsa Monastery
The Kapsa Monastery is an Eastern Orthodox monastery situated on the southeast coast of Crete, between the villages of Makrys Gialos and Sitia and at the point where the Pervolakia gorge ends. It is a dependency of Toplou Monastery and is dedicated to the Saint John the Baptist. Built on the steep rocks above the sea, offers amazing views over the Libyan Sea and Koufounissi Island opposite and has a beautiful pebbly beach in front.
Even though the date of its foundation is not known, it was most probably established in the 15th century. In 1471, the monastery was partly destroyed by pirate raids. It stayed completely abandoned for many years as it could not be reached easily by land, but mainly by the sea. Until 1841 there was only a small chapel dedicated to the Saint John the Baptist, a well with brackish water and two half-ruined buildings that now have been restored and can still be seen today. The half-ruined monastery was restored hundreds of years later by the monk Ioannis Vitsentzos or Gerontoyiannis, who made it famous throughout Crete and the rest of Greece. Born in 1799, he decided to leave the village and his family and devote his entire life to God in the year 1841, after the tragic loss of his beloved daughter. This event was recognized as a sign from God, that changed entirely his life.
Originally living as an ascetic in an adjacent cave for 17 years, he made the monastery famous. It was rumored that he could see divine visions, walk on the sea till the opposite island of Koufonissi and heal any illness. His fame drew other ascetics, resulting in the creation of a monastic community and the construction of new cells and a second chapel dedicated this time to the Holy Trinity. The wooden carved iconostasis was made in 1869 by Chatziminas and was painted in 1874 by Antonis Alexandridis. At that time, many pilgrims also came here from afar to pray.
After his death at the age of 75, the construction work was continued by his grandson Joseph Gerontakis and the abbots who came after him. Apart from adding some new cells, Joseph brought running water to the monastery and cultivated the surrounding gardens. This can be confirmed from the inscription on the entrance to the catholicon, of 1882, which mentions both the first donor, Gerontoyiannis, and Joseph. The grave of Gerontoyiannis is located in the interior of the complex and the monk himself was officially included in the list of saints of the Orthodox Church in the year 2004. He is now honored every year, on August 7.
During World War II, the monastery was a center of resistance against the Germans. Many Greek partisans and British soldiers found refuge here, before being taken to Egypt by British submarines. In November 1943, the abbot Hilarion Syntychakis was ordered by the Germans to leave the monastery along with the rest of the monks. After the Germans left Crete, all the monks returned back.
The monastery buildings are located on four levels and include the cells of monks, a bakery, warehouses and a large rainwater tank. The church of St. John lies at the center of the complex. It is formed externally as a twin-nave, barrel-vaulted church and decorated with excellent icons of the Cretan School of the 15th and the 16th century. The monastery has colorful mosaics on the floor and remnants of ancient columns. A path leads up to the cave where Saint Joseph Gerontoyiannis spent the last days of his life. The road to the monastery offers an exceptional view of small bays with emerald waters. If you are in this area of Crete, a visit to this monastery is definitely worthwhile. Today, Kapsa functions as a monastery for male monks. It is open to the public and has strict dressing rules to enter. The monastery celebrates on August, 29. That day large crowds of believers come to the monastery from all over Crete and participate in the great festival organized.