Arkadi Monastery Tour: The History Behind the Legacy

(2 reviews)

Rethymno audio tour: Arkadi Monastery Tour: The History Behind the Legacy

This is an indoor tour

Rethymno

Greece

$24.99

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About the Tour

Arkadi Monastery may have become famous for a single dramatic event, but there’s far more to this centuries-old monastery.

On this self-guided walking tour, you’ll discover Arkadi Monastery’s full story, from its origins as a modest religious foundation, to its rise to wealth and influence, and its eventual transformation into one of the most powerful monasteries on Crete.

The tour starts in the car park and ends and ends at the graveyard. As you walk through the monastery complex, you’ll hear about the lives of monks, scribes, wealthy patrons, villagers, and soldiers who shaped Arkadi across the centuries. You’ll explore its gates, cloisters, workshops, cells, and refectory, and find out how daily life unfolded behind these walls.

I’ll share the story of the monastery’s final ordeal in the 1800s, placing it firmly within the much longer history you will already have uncovered.

On this one-hour tour, you’ll also have a chance to:

Hear how powerful patrons like Matthios Kallergis and Klimis Hortatzis transformed Arkadi into a wealthy, fortified religious centre
Examine the unique twin-sanctuary church, whose Renaissance façade and Byzantine layout reflect Crete’s position between East and West
Explore the monastic cells where scribes once created valuable manuscripts
Understand how the monastery functioned as both a spiritual sanctuary and an economic hub for the surrounding region
Visit the powder room associated with the monastery’s final siege
View the ossuary and memorials commemorating the monastery’s dead
Learn how Arkadi’s long history shaped its lasting symbolic importance in Cretan and Greek identity

By the end of this tour, you’ll have a sense of how faith, politics, culture, and local ambition came together to shape a place that functioned not only as a spiritual centre, but also as a landowner, cultural hub, and fortified refuge.

Allow around 1 to 1.5 hours for this tour, but take all the time you need. Pause, replay sections, revisit locations, and enjoy the freedom to explore Arkadi at your own pace.

Tour Producer

Enda MacMullen

2 tours

Originally from Ireland, I have found my second home in Crete. I have been living in the area around the city of Rethymnon for 16 years and have worked as a guide for various travel agencies in the region.

I use this background and my practical knowledge, gained during many hours of travelling, walking and hiking in the prefecture of Rethymno and conversations with the local population as the basis for my audio guides. This information is checked several times against reliable, recognized scientific articles and books published in Greece and abroad. Everything is then summarized in authentic, top-quality audio. My tours mainly cover rare or little-known destinations, but that doesn't make them any less worthwhile.

Other than producing audio guides, I'm also do bespoke nature walks with the emphasis on endemic wild flowers of Crete. These walks are held from the beginning of March to the middle of June and introduce participants to the enormous wealth of wildflowers on the island.

Preview Location

Location 6

Outside the Refectory

The monastery attracted many new monks and urgently needed additional living space for them. The south side of the monastery, which is on the other side of the church from where we are now standing, was developed for this purpose. They also needed a larger refectory, larger ki... The monastery attracted many new monks and urgently needed additional living space for them. The south side of the monastery, which is on the other side of the church from where we are now standing, was developed for this purpose. They also needed a larger refectory, larger kitchens, more storage space, a hospice and much more.

Their growing wealth also attracted more unwanted attention, so defences were built around the monastery. These included an ammunition depot and an armoury, both located in the south-western corner, where the ticket office is now. A larger church was also planned.

However, the biggest and most essential change that Klimis Hortatzis made to the monastery was not the physical expansion or the financial investment. While Arkadi had always been a eremitic monastery, where life revolved around the individual, Abbot Klimis transformed the monastery into a coenobitic community where the emphasis was on community and cooperation. This was the crucial change that was necessary to successfully carry out the expansion of the monastery.

The final change made to the monastery was the expansion of the church. This began in 1562 and would take 25 years to complete. Matthios Kallergis did not live long enough to see the result. He was murdered by the Venetian general Marino Cavali, one of the powerful enemies he had made when he married Camilla Donato. General Cavali had always regarded Camilla Donato as Mrs Cavali, and he particularly cherished the idea of the power that this union would bring. He hated Matthios Kallergis because he had thwarted his plans. It is not known whether Cavali committed the murder himself or merely ordered it.

In any case, one morning in 1572, Matthios Kallergis was murdered. His family, fearing the worst, moved permanently to Venice and adopted the more Italian-sounding name Calergi. Klimis Hortatzis died shortly after the completion of the church, leaving behind a transformed, flourishing and extremely wealthy monastery as his legacy.

The monastery continued to grow in prestige, wealth and power until 1645, when it was plundered, probably by the pirates of Barbarossa, who would eventually become admiral of the Ottoman navy. During that plundering, the new church was severely damaged and its interior was destroyed. Three years later, the Ottomans invaded Crete and the monks were forced to abandon the monastery, which had suffered greatly from the various battles that took place around it. Many people died during that period, which is probably why and when this first cypress tree was planted.

However, the monastery's power was so great that the monks obtained permission from the Ottoman authorities to return and restore the monastery to its former state. The monks did so, and while they were at it, they added a few more buildings and fortifications, giving the monastery the fortress-like appearance it still has today. At that time, about 100 monks lived in Arkadi and another 200 in the surrounding communities. Arkadi was not only a centre of religious power, but also the driving force behind the local economy. Most of the surrounding villages earned their living exclusively by working for the monastery, for example by grinding grain or processing olives.

The monastery retained its power for about another 120 years, but the deteriorating relationship with the Ottoman authorities began to take its toll, and by the beginning of the 19th century, Arkadi had fallen into decline and lost its economic power. No alternative employment was offered and many villagers had to leave their villages in order to survive. This paved the way for Muslim supporters of the Ottoman rulers to settle in the villages and bring about a major shift in the local demographics.

In 1822, the monastery was plundered again, this time by the local Ottoman warlord Yetim Ali, who was based in nearby Kyrianna. Although the monastery was still standing as a building, life had disappeared from it and only six monks remained. One of them was Gabriel Marinakis, who became the new abbot. Through his hard work and determination, the monastery's fortunes slowly began to change. He gained the support of the local population by investing the monastery's meagre funds in the education of the youth.

And then came 1866. Let's visit the famous ammunition room in the north-eastern corner, there on our left.

When you get there, press the “I'm here” button. Read More

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Major Landmarks

Eleftherna
Margarites
Syvritos
Rethymnon
Amari
Loutra
Thronos
Arkadi Gorge
Pikris

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Getting There

Route Overview

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Start location
Epar.Od. Viran Episkopis-Monis Arkadiou, Moni Arkadiou 741 50, Greece
Total distance

543m
Final location
Epar.Od. Viran Episkopis-Monis Arkadiou, Moni Arkadiou 741 50, Greece
Distance back to start location

0m

Directions to Starting Point

Arkadi can be reached by public transport, by booking an organised coach trip (which includes other points of interest and is very limited in historical information and actual time spent at the monastery), by car or motorbike and even by bicycle. Coming from Rethymnon, take the OLD road out of the city towards Heraklion and turn right in Platanias, following the road signs to Arkadi. This is the direct route, about 20km, and takes you through a number of rural villages. Once you get to the monastery, park on the carpark and start you tour from the middle of the car park.

Coming from Heraklion, follow the new national road in the direction of Rethymnon, as far as Panormos. Turn inland at Panormos, taking the road to Perama. In Perama, follow the road signs for Margarites/Eleftherna/Arkadi. It is very well signposted. Again, once you reach the monastery, park up and start the tour from the middle of the car park.

If you are coming from the south, head for either Heraklion or Rethymnon first and then follow the above directions.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

We strongly suggest you combine this visit with a trip in the area and visit one or two, but not more, of the nearby villages. Remember, a good holiday is not determined by the number of places you managed to visit. It's the quality of the places that matters! Highly recommended are the historic villages of Loutra, Kyrianna, Amnatos, Maroulas, Margarites, and Eleftherna.

Best time of day

During the high season it is best to avoid the morning hours as the place gets overrun by coach tours. The best time during the high season is late afternoon. If you visit off-season, the morning is an excellent time to start your tour.
Religious festivals, special cultural events and many other things ensure that opening times and days may vary. We advise you to call the monastery to ask about the current opening times before you set out. Nothing like finding your destination inaccessible to kill a beautiful day. The phone number given is the number for the entrance kiosk.

Under normal circumstances, you will be able to visit the monastery as follows:

September from 09:00 to 19:00

October from 09:00 to 18:00

November from 09:00 to 17:00

March from 09:00 to 18:00

April - May from 09:00 to 19:00

June - July - August from 09:00 to 20:00

The above schedule is valid daily, 7 days a week.

From April to October the museum and the entrance of the monastery are open daily.

On Sundays and public holidays, the museum opens after the end of the Divine Liturgy.

The sacred services are held daily in the monastery according to the orthodox ecclesiastical standard. The morning service is at 06:00 a.m. and the afternoon at 05:00 p.m.

Precautions

We recommend you bring a hat and sunglasses. On most of this tour, even inside the monastery enclosure, you will be exposed to direct, hot Cretan sunshine. A bottle of water and a snack or two are also recommended. Use headphones while listening to the audio. If you are unfortunate enough to find your visit coinciding with a guided tour, you'll soon enough realise how disturbing the loud voice of the guide trying to reach everybody in their group is. Your headphones prevent you from becoming a similar problem.

Please keep the Orthodox traditions in mind. This means that appropriate dress is required for both men and women. You are allowed to take pictures inside the church, but without the use of flashlights and never during religious ceremonies. Also be aware that, strange as it may seem, you need government a licence to use a tripod. You can buy a licence from the Ministry of Culture.

Because of religious or official activity in the monastery, we recommend that you call the entrance kiosk in the monastery before embarking on your journey, to make sure a visit is possible. You can reach the kiosk on this number: +30 28310 83136 (landline)

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Last Updated

9 Feb 2026

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Arkadi Monastery Tour: The History Behind the Legacy

About the Tour

Tour Producer

Enda MacMullen

Preview Location

Location 6

Outside the Refectory

How VoiceMap Works

Major Landmarks

Eleftherna

Margarites

Syvritos

Rethymnon

Amari

Loutra

Thronos

Arkadi Gorge

Pikris