Halepa Monastery

The Halepa Monastery of Christ the Saviour was founded in the 16th century and initially functioned as a female monastery. Many of its buildings were destroyed after the Ottoman conquest of Rethymno in 1645. The monastery was later re-established as a male monastery. The monumental gate of the monastery was built in 1673 and the elaborate fountain in the mid-18th century. In the 19th century, the monastery was almost completely rebuilt after being burnt down during the revolution of 1821. The construction of a new, larger church (catholicon) began without demolishing the original double church, which was preserved for religious reasons. However, the construction of the new church was never completed and the unfinished building surrounds the older church.

Bibliography

Μ. Ανδριανάκης, Κ. Γιαπιτσόγλου, Χριστιανικά μνημεία της Κρήτης, Ηράκλειο 2012, σ. 294-5.

Α. Φραϊδάκη, «Μονή Μεταμορφώσεως Χριστού στη Χαλέπα Μυλοποτάμου: το κτηριακό συγκρότημα και οι κατασκευαστικές φάσεις του», Πεπραγμένα Ι΄ Διεθνούς Κρητολογικού Συνεδρίου (Χανιά, 1-8 Οκτωβρίου 2006), τ. Β3, Χανιά 2011, σ. 177-198.