ΧΡΙΣΤΙΑΝΙΚΑ ΜΝΗΜΕΙΑ Ι.Μ.Ι.Σ. ENG

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Manuel Phokas, such as St. George in Embaros and St. Constantine at Avdou, should be
placed a little before the middle of the 15th century.
The wall painting decoration of the transept, which was completed in 1453, the year of
the Fall of Constantinople, is the last confirmed work of the painter Manuel Phokas, while
it is part of the so-called academic current of the Palaeologan period. The iconographic
programme of the church includes, in the original aisle, scenes from the Gospel cycle with
emphasis on the miracles of Christ, three of which are depicted on the barrel-vault of the
main church, as well as the scene in front of the Magistrate from the life of St. George.
Scenes from the Twelve Great Feasts and the cycle of the saint were added later to the
transept, whose wall paintings are partially preserved.
The monastery of Kapsas is located in the southerneast corner of Crete, on the west
side of the exit from the gorge of Pervolakia towards the sea. Even though the date
of its foundation is unknown to us, the existence of wall painting decoration, possibly of
the 13th–14th centuries, in the aisle of St. John the Forerunner, as well as the engravings
HOLY
MONASTERY
OF KAPSAS
which cover a long period, the oldest from 1512 until the more recent in
the 18th century, give us secure facts for an early dating of the monument.
The existence of a small monastery, at least, is also demonstrated by
testimonials, according to which there were two ruined cells next to the
church during its reestablishment in the middle of the 19th century.
The contemporary history of the monastery is
inextricably linked to John Vitsentzos or
Gerontogiannis, who in 1844, decided to
become a monk in the area, originally living as
an ascetic in an adjacent cave for seventeen
years and later repairing the existing cells. The
sanctity of his life and his fame drew other
ascetics, resulting in the creation of a monastic
community and the construction of additional
buildings. After the passing of Gerontogiannis,
his grandson, Joseph Gerontakis, who became
the abbot of the monastery in 1866, continued
the construction work of his predecessor, as
can be confirmed from the inscription on the
entrance to the catholicon, of 1882, which
mentions both the first donor, Gerontogiannis,
and Joseph. The building complex of the
monastery develops incrementally due to the
sloping ground of the steep slope, with the
cavernous church of St. John as the centre,
which is formed externally as a twin-naved,
barrel-vaulted church. The grave of The Holy Forerunner.
Gerontogiannis, who was officially included in
the list of saints of the Orthodox Church in the year 2004, is located in the interior, in the
southwest corner.
Excellent icons of the Cretan School are preserved in the church, such as the All-Holy
Virgin the Vrefokratousa, in the type of the Dexiokratousa [‘holding the Child on the right’],
of the beginning of the 15th century, and St. John the Forerunner of the 16th century.
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Atwin-naved church was added to the south side of the single-nave church of the
All-Holy Virgin, in the middle of the settlement, during the 1950s. The wall
painting decoration of the old aisle, of the 14th century, has scenes from the Christological
and Marian cycles with the scene of the Second Coming occupying the entire west wall.
The representations of Christ on the south wall and of the All-Holy
Virgin Vrefokratousa [‘holding the Child’] on the north, next to the altar
screen, have the place of pilgrimage icons. The floor of the church made
from hexagonal limestone tiles, which date to the Venetian period, as
well as the series of glazed bowls on the exterior side of the south wall, are of interest.
ALL-HOLY VIRGIN
AT LITHINES