The island of Crete has been an important Christian destination for 2,000 years. Every year, pilgrims from all over the world come here.
The Apostle Paul stopped on the southern coast of the island on his way to Rome during his last journey.
Traces of ancient churches and monasteries can be found everywhere. Some are well-preserved, while others are just a few stones on the ground.
After the Venetians left Crete in 1669, there were still 2,000 monasteries on the island. Most of which were destroyed, abandoned by the inhabitants, or simply closed down over the next 250 years.
Here are the ruins of one of these monasteries, St. Trinity – Agia Triada, which is located in the village of Ligortina, near Pyrgos (Heraklion region). This monastery was founded in the 11th century as a male Catholic monastery. Archaeologists have excavated here, found several underground rooms (storages, and maybe wine cellars), several burials, more than 20 skulls, a well, several Roman columns, a scattering of Venetian small coins.
Judging by the beautiful columns, the monastery was rich, which means that there was also a residential building with cells for monks, and a refectory, and warehouses, and a barn for animals, a spring with water (monasteries were always founded near a source of water), maybe guest rooms, as well as a cemetery where the monks buried their deceased brothers.
Unfortunately, the whirlwind of the island’s history has not spared this abode of spiritual life. Today, almost nothing remains of the once-wealthy monastery.
The locals told me an interesting story.
In the middle of the last century, the men of the village began to die for various reasons, such as accidents and mishaps. The village priest declared that he had a dream, and until the villagers restored the destroyed church, the men would continue to die until they disappeared.
The villagers rushed to rebuild the recently destroyed Church of the Archangel Michael, but even after its restoration, the male population continued to die. The priest then claimed that his vision was about the Monastery of the Holy Trinity. Once the ruins were consecrated as a church and the first service was held, the deaths ceased.
In the 1990s, an attempt was made to restore the monastery’s church, but the archaeological service halted the work.
The ruins of the temple are located in the village of Ligortina, and if you decide to travel south of Crete through Pyrgos, you can stop by and admire this place!
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