Crete-Discover the Unknown Crete

C H A P T E R 3
From Gournia to Ierapetra
Orthodox
monasteries
are always
hidden
away in silent
places far from
the crowds
A short deviation from the main coastal
road leads us towards the Monastery of
Faneromeni, clinging to the mountain top.
The road meanders amid bushes of thyme
and sage as far as the little cave church of
the monastery which houses a precious icon
of the "Death of the Virgin", believed to have
miraculous powers. Legend tells of a
shepherd who had lost his way during the
night, but was drawn to a light in the
darkness: it came from the holy icon and, in
thanks to the Virgin who had helped him
find his way once more, the first church of
Faneromeni was erected on the site.
Gournia, the
"Minoan Pompei"
Back on the main road, the ancient city
of Gournia appears, luminous, on a low hill,
like a map open to the skies: one can clearly
see the walls of the houses, the streets and
the courtyards, so much so that it is known
as the "Minoan Pompei". Already inhabited
in the Early- and Middle-Minoan era, the
ruins that we see today belong largely to the
Late Minoan era (circa 1600 B.C.) and to the
period of the arrival of the Mycenaeans who
erected a sanctuary here. The inhabitants of
Gournia were artisans, merchants and
fishermen, but they too wanted to erect a
palace and a theatre space of their own
modelled on Knossos, naturally much
inferior in scale.
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