The monastery of Panagia Armos in Malles

The monastery of Panagia Armos is located at position Armos , 5km southeast of Males village, very close to the nunnery of Exakousti . The area where the monastery was built is lush green and has panoramic views to the pine woords of Selakano and Malles .

The monastery was one of the most historic and oldest in Crete, but is now ruined and only the church survives, dedicated to the Nativity of Virgin Mary (Panagia) . The church of Panagia is a single-barrel-vaulted church with a beautiful iconostasis ( templon ) of 1869.

It is said that in the position of the current church, there was the Diocese of Iera , where 7 bishops of the 2nd century AD were buried. Indeed, the flourishing period of the monastery dates back to the early Christian Times (1st-2nd century AD).

The current church we see today was built during the Venetian period. The monastery was used as permanent or summer residence of the local bishop during the Turkish Era, while the Diocese was possibly moved to Saint George at Loutra .