The Monastery is located north-west of the village of Voudomagerio (or Doumaergio), today's Kentrochorio. Its foundation is defined in the years of the early Venetian rule or even earlier in the Byzantine years around 961-1204 AD. It is mentioned in Venetian documents of 1635 and 1640, and in a document of 1658 of the Hierodicion of Rethymno, as a thriving monastery. Historical data regarding the operation of the Monastery during the Turkish occupation are preserved in the archive of the Monastery of Preveli. On June 15, 1821, Abadian Turks set fire to the monastery and killed the monks. The ruined Monastery was annexed as Metochi to Prevelis Monastery. In 1836, the "School of the Holy Spirit", one of the most well-known spiritual centers of Turkish-occupied Crete, operated on the site, while in 1899 the first Primary School was established to meet the needs of the surrounding villages. The area of Kentrochorio is widely known since the Byzantine period due to the Legend of the "Archontess Maria", owner of the area. It is said that Mary also built the monastery of the Holy Spirit, where she became a monk and was buried. In the Voidomagerio (oxen + kitchen) there were the stables of the animals and the stables lived in the service of the aristocracy. Also, on her own initiative, all the rocky slopes of Kentrohori were shaped into arable land.
In the courtyard of the monastery, which is currently closed, there is a memorial to the fallen in honor of the 200 volunteer fighters who died heroically fighting the Turks on December 5, 1868.
Editor: Niki Kalopaidis