Monastery of Arkadi

The Holy Patriarchal and Stavropegic Monastery of Arkadi is one of the most historic religious sites in Crete. The monastery has been in operation for eight centuries, but the church, as it is preserved today, is the result of works that took place in the 16th century. The monastery was famous both for the copying of manuscripts and for its miniature craft work. The most glorious and famous moment in the history of the monastery is its holocaust in 1866, when during the revolt of the Cretans against their Ottoman rulers, a significant part of their leadership was gathered and barricaded in Arkadi. Despite the persistent orders of Mustafa Pasha, the monastery was not abandoned. About a thousand people were besieged on the grounds of the monastery, 259 armed men and 705 civilians, among whom many were elderly, women and children. The Cretans resisted fiercely, but the Ottoman cannons managed to break down the gates and the Sultan's army rushed in to slaughter and capture the besieged. That is when Konstantinos Giampoudakis, with the support of Hegumen Gavriil, emptied his pistol on a barrel filled with gunpowder, blowing up the powder magazine of the monastery. Most of the heroic besieged disintegrated, taking with them 1,500 enemies.