The History
Even though the Sacred Monastery of Arkadi has its geographic coordinates in Crete, it does not belong to Crete alone. It belongs to the whole Greece, Europe, the five continents – it belongs to the whole world.
It is one of the Orthodox monasteries that accentuate the catholic and ecumenical character of the Church. Each year the monastery welcomes and hosts visitors and pilgrims coming here from various countries and faraway civilizations. It is the point where a variety of languages, cultures and traditions come together, a meeting point for history and diversity. Nothing diminishes the unity of faith, the catholic character of the Orthodox spirit, the Ecumenical nature of ecclesiastic testimony.
moreVisits & Tours
Each and all pilgrims and visitors perceive this physical and spiritual experience in a way that is exclusively their own, personal and original.
Beyond the Monastery
Visit also the Historic Dining Room, the Cellars, the Powder Keg, the Museum as well as the Art Gallery of the Monastery.
Divine Liturgies
The divine liturgies are practiced at the monastery according to the Orthodox ecclesiastic rites.
Celebration Days of the Monastery
The monastery celebrates 3 holidays: May 21st, August 6th & November 8th.
The Monastery today
Today, the Sacred Monastery of Arkadi observes the canonical rules of the Orthodox Church, both as a fully operating monastery and as a pilgrimage destination of religious tourism.
Seven monks live, work and serve the Church in the monastic cells of Christ the Savior, St. Constantine and his mother St. Helen.
The visit of thousands of people on an annual basis helps preserve the reputation of this historic monastery. Specifically, inside the monastery, it is possible to visit and see the Church (the Main –Catholic - Church of the Monastery), the Historic Dining Room, the Cellars, the Powder Keg, the Museum and the Art Gallery of the Monastery
Museum & Art Gallery
The Monastery museum –to the South West, in an area of cells and auxiliary rooms of the Monastery – accommodates many old relics that have survived time and degradation caused by the occupation of the Monastery by insidious besiegers.
The Art Gallery is installed in the recently restored and appropriately arranged areas of the former Museum of the Monastery that were completed last year on occasion of the celebration of the one hundred and fifty years from the Arkadic Self-Sacrifice of 1866. It is on the first floor of the building, at the ground floor of which the Museum Collection of the Sacred Monastery is exhibited.
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News
Read about the latest news of the Sacred Monastery of Arkadi.
Cretan Shot – Special Event
The Organizing Committee of School Sports Activities of Rethymno, in cooperation with the Sports Club OKA Preveli and the “Cretan Breeched Dancers Club” presented the traditional game “Cretan Shot”.
Learning history … through play: on-line treasure hunt on Arkadi
The third On-Line Treasure Hunt for Junior and Senior High School students of our region is organized by the Secondary Education Administration of Rethymno in cooperation with the Association of Classical Greek Teachers of Rethymno, under the auspices of the Metropolis of Rethymno and Avlopotamos, the Sub-region of Rethymno and the Municipality of Rethymno, in the framework of the celebrations of the Regional Entity of Rethymno for the Arkadic Self-Sacrifice.
Depiction of the Holocaust at the Powder Keg of the Arkadi Monastery
With the support of His Eminence the Metropolitan of Rethymno and Avlopotamos Mr. Evgenios, a new piece of artwork has been produced in memory of the heroic self-sacrifice of the defenders of the Sacred Patriarchal and Stauropegic Monastery of Arkadi, on the night of November 8th 1866.