Church of Saint Onesimus at Metaxochori

On the road connecting Choudetsi with Pirgos , at the wider area of Metaxochori village, we meet the small church of Saint Onesimus (Agios Onisimos) , the only temple dedicated to Saint Onesimus in Crete. Saint Onesimus was a slave of Phrygia who escaped from his master and went to Rome in order to meet the Apostle Paul .

He is considered the patron saint of prisoners and judgers and a feast takes place on February 15. The temple is quite old and was collapsed and buried below surface till several years, when it came back to the surface in a miraculous way.

One judge who drove his car towards Messara plain had an accident and his car stopped exactly where the temple was hidden. The judge considered that a miracle because he escaped death and built the old church to please his patron saint's life.

Outside the church there is a well, from which passers-by used to drink water. The water is said to have dried up after a woman put her feet inside to wash them, which was considered an insult to the saint who offered clean water to the visitors.