The Preveli Monastery, located 37 km from Rethymnon, includes two monasteries that are 3 km apart: the "Lower Monastery" which is abandoned and the "Piso Monastery" which is operational and can be visited. According to tradition, the name of the monastery that was established after the 17th century comes either from a resident of the village of Prevelianas in Heraklion who fled to this area after a murder he committed, or it must have been the name of someone renovating the Monastery.
The central precinct of the Monastery is dominated by the two-aisled church of Saint John the Theologian and the Evangelist. To the west and south of this are the cells and the abbot. The church is modern and was built on top of an older Byzantine church. On a lower level is the fountain with the date 1701 on its inscription, and the Museum of the Monastery which includes vestments, ecclesiastical objects and icons.
Source: Department of Tourism of the Regional Unity of Rethymnon
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