Monastery of Saint John Baptist by Korakies

The Monastery of St. John the Baptist is built in position Korakies of Akrotiri, close to the airport of Chania.

It is a historic convent which is relatively unknown in Chania. The monastery has been destroyed several times by the various conquerors of Crete and thus valuable documents that could help in accurate dating of the monastery foundation were lost.

It is believed however that it was initially founded before the Fall of Constantinople (1453) in the coastal area of Agia Kyriaki, in Halepa suburb of Chania. However, later, when the constant pirate raids of the Arabs started, the nuns moved to a safer place, on the hill of St.

Matthew and later they moved to the current position. The monastery is surrounded by a tall wall and its main entrance is minimal, compared with the rest monasteries of Akrotiri.

In the middle of the verdant enclosure, you will see the two-aisled church of St. John the Baptist (celebr. 29 August) and St.

George (23 April), surrounded by the humble cells and the rest buildings of the monastery. The icons of the monastery have been drawn by the nuns.

Also, there are the small chapels of St. Andrew the Cretan and Panagia Portaitissa.

A remarkable Housekeeping School operated in the monastery, at the current museum position, which immediately gained a great reputation throughout the island. Indeed, the nuns sewed the wedding dress of the Greek Queen, Olga, in 1867.