The Holy Sanctuary of Panagia Pantanassi ("Queen of All") is built at an altitude of 30 m and is located 14 km west of Heraklion. It is a women's monastery dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin and celebrates on September 8. The Monastery was founded in 1963 by Metropolitan Nikolaos Xeno with the aim of operating as a charitable institution. Entering the Monastery, you can see the three-story building, which formerly housed the Orphanage, with workshop spaces and rooms for the education of orphans. Today it is used as a Sanctuary. In the pine-covered areas of the monastery are also the holy church of Panagia, the cells of the monks as well as the tomb of its founder. The church is tiled, three-aisled basilica type. The central aisle is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the right one in Agia Anna and the left one in Agios Nikolaos. Today, 9 nuns live in the Monastery.
Editor: Niki Kalopaidis