It is one of the oldest monasteries of Crete at a distance of 21.3 km from Heraklion. It is located in a green area in the southeast of the village of Venerato. It was built on the ruins of an ancient temple, as confirmed by the capitals found in the Monastery's enclosure. It is dedicated to the Dormition of the Virgin Mary and has been in operation since the first centuries of the Byzantine state. As it belonged to the emperor, it was to be expected that it acquired special prestige and power and possessed vast properties and shares in almost all of central Crete. After the conquest of Crete by the Venetians, it was claimed by the Latin Patriarch of Constantinople and the Doge of Venice himself, and apparently their dispute lasted for many years.
During the Turkish occupation and although the nunneries found themselves in a difficult position, the monastery managed to survive until the revolution of 1821. But then it fell victim to the unprecedented ferocity of the Turks. It was burned and of the 70 nuns that had been saved 3. One of them, Parthenia managed to renovate and reconstruct it from the piles of ruins. At the end of the 19th century, a new period began for the monastery. Today it is not communal, but peculiar and 50 nuns live in it.
Source: HERAKLION DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION
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