About 20 km south of the city of Heraklion, between the villages of Houdetsi and Agios Vasileios, is the cave-like Monastery of Panagia "Spiliotissa". The sanctuary was built on a rock of the Spiliotissa canyon after the icon of the Virgin Mary was found at this point. The Monastery was founded at the beginning of the 17th century but the temple pre-existed from the 11th century. The fragments of frescoes found in the cave date back to the 15th century. Apparently the Monastery was in full development in the 16th century. It is reported that in 1599 Ioannis Morezinos (director of the Sinaitic School in Heraklion) was appointed by the Venetians as minister of the Monastery. At the end of the 16th century, the Monastery belongs to the jurisdiction of the Venetian Falieri family. Then, in order not to fall into the hands of the Turks, it was dedicated to the Monastery of Sinai. In 1866, the first Primary School opened in the Monastery that met the needs of the area and the surrounding settlements. It was initially a men's monastery and then until today it functions as a women's monastery and as a co-op of Saint Catherine of Sinai.
The Monastery celebrates the day of the Assumption of the Virgin (August 15).
Editor: Niki Kalopaidis