Monastery Gouvernetos

The Monastery Gouvernetos is one of the oldest monasteries of Crete and Chania, as it was built in 1537. The Monastery Gouvernetos is also called “Lady of the Angels” and is located on Akrotiri peninsula, about four kilometers from the Monastery of Agia Triada and 19 kilometers from the city of Chania.

The Monastery Gouvernetos was built by ascetic monks from the Monastery of St. John the Hermit. The Monastery Gouvernetos looks more like a fortress and is dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

The monastery was plundered by the Turks during the Revolution of 1821 and as a result many of the monks were killed and its files were destroyed. It got its current form after reconstructions made ​​in the 19th century.

The Monastery Gouvernetos is an impressive building with a strong Venetian influence, built on the plateau of a hill and standing out above the ravine that leads to the Gorge Avlaki, where lie the ruins of the Katholiko.

You can reach it by following a sloping path that leads to a scale-hewn rock. The buildings of the monastery are located on the right bank of the ravine, while on the left one are the caves of the hermits. The two banks are connected with a large stone bridge of 50 meters.