The Arkadi chronicle

The Arkadi chronicle

Greece
Creta island
The Arkadi monastery

Arkadi is a historic monastery situated on a mountainous slope,30km from Rethymnon on the island of Creta.It is fortified by a high and strong wall which protects a church built in the 16th century, with a facade in fine renaissance style,a church in elegant mixture of Byzantine and Baroque style like St. Marcus in Venice.
The monastery played an active role during the Cretan uprisal and revolt that took place in 1866 against Ottoman occupation since 1670 when about 1000 Greeks, mostly women and children , sought refuge in it. After several days seige and fierce battle with the surrounding Ottoman forces and lacking food, the leading clergyman set fire blowing up the barrels of gunpowder choosing thus to sacrifice themselves rather than surrender and get slaughtered by the Ottomans, as it was the rule...
The monastery is considered a national sanctuary in honour of the Cretan resistance and fight for union with Greece.
Creta, after several revolts, was finally liberated and annexed to Greece in 1912
In the photo the surrounding fortification of the monastery.