Kapsa monastery was originally built in the fifteenth century, some say maybe already in fourteenth, but got destroyed by pirates and was abandoned for centuries. In 1841 it was rebuilt by an hermit, Joseph Yerondoyiannis, who made it famous throughout Crete and indeed the rest of Greece. The work of Yerontoyiannis was continued by his grandson Joseph Gerontakis and the abbots who came after him.
Yerondoyiannis was born in Kapsa at the time there were just ruins, later he got married and children. On Easter Friday 1841 he fell in sleep and all efforts to wake him up failed. Forty-three hours later he woke up to find his family and friends were at his bed side. He told he had been taken up to heaven where he saw and heard things so wonderful which he cannot be put into words.
After that he decided to leave his family and come back to Kapsa to devote his life to God. He lived in a cave just above the monastery for seventeen years as an ascetic.
Main entrance to the monastery.
Open 6:30 am to 12:30 pm and 3:30 pm to 7:00 pm. Funny, in Greek times it says open until 8:00 pm...
Main "square" in Kapsa.
The roof was full of delicious looking grapes.
Very green out there and long tables in shade.
Water
The church above the stairs.
Vegetable garden.
The cave of Yerondoyiannis, where he lived 17 years.
View from the cave.
Beside the monastery on the right, you can see the entrance of Pervolakia Gorge or Kapsa Gorge, next posting will be about my walk through the gorge.
Upea tarina ja erittäin kaunis luostari.Kuvat tukee tarinaa hyvin.
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