Kapsa Monastery

Monastery overview.

Stairs to the monastery church.

Kapsa Monastery (Greek: Μονή Καψά) is an Eastern Orthodox monastery situated on the southeast coast of Crete, between the villages of Makrys Gialos in the west and Goudouras in the east. It is built on a steep, rocky mountainside near the exit of the Perivolakia gorge, which offers picturesque views of the Libyan Sea.

History

Kapsa monastery was most probably established in the fifteenth century, although no exact date of its establishment is known. In 1471, it was destroyed by pirates and as a result was then abandoned for centuries. In 1841, it was rebuilt by a hermit, who spent his last years in a nearby cave. Moni Kapsa is a metochion of Toplou monastery. During the Axis occupation of Crete, the monastery often sheltered Greek partisans and allied soldiers.

Architecture

The main building (katholikon) is a two-nave church dedicated to St. John the Baptist.

Current status

Today, Kapsa functions as a male monastery.