“The Arkadi Monastery on the island of Crete does not belong only to the island.” The website of the monastery says that “It belongs to Greece, Europe and all five continents—the whole world.” Not only because of many visitors and pilgrims from all over the world, which the monastery receives every year, but considering that UNESCO declared Arkadi the European monument of freedom. Every year on November 8, both Greeks and travelers from different countries gather here to honor the defenders of freedom…

The memory of uprisings against Ottoman rule in Greece is as sacred as in Russia is the memory of the Great Patriotic War (the integral part of the Second World War). Arkadi Monastery was one of the main centers of the uprising of the Orthodox Greeks on the island in 1866. At that time the monastery was called by the Turks as Çanlı-Manastırı, which meant “Monastery where the bell is rung”: it was one of the two where Pasha, as an exception, allowed the ringing of bells during the service. So the monastery bell sounded, gathering the Cretans to revolt…

Arkadi has always been an integral part of the history of Crete. For eight centuries it has been famous as a spiritual and educational center. Its excellent location in the foothills of Ida, almost in the center of Crete, brought prosperity and well-being to the monastery. About a hundred monks lived in it, and the monks opened a school for residents of the surrounding villages. In addition, the monastery was engaged in copying ancient manuscripts, thanks to which its own library kept the texts of Dante, Virgil, Diodorus of Sicily, Aristophanes, Euripides, etc.…

But in hard time the monastery changed its “specialization”, becoming the headquarters of the rebels. At the beginning of November 1866, not only about 300 rebels, but also about 700 residents of the surrounding villages fleeing the Ottoman Turks gathered around the strong monastery walls.

Ottoman army besieged Arkadi. The abbot Gabriel was offered to leave the holy monastery with the civilians, but he refused. The attack began… When the Ottoman Turks nevertheless managed to enter the monastery, part of the surviving Greeks went into the cellars full of powder kegs. After waiting for as many enemies as possible were approaching the basements, one of the rebels set fire to the powder. A powerful explosion destroyed buildings, claimed the lives of many invaders and Greeks. The few rebels that survived were executed by the Turks. News of this massacre quickly spread throughout Greece, encouraging the Hellenes to fight for their independence.

This tragic story outraged the entire European community. However, the tragedy on the island was quickly forgotten. Only after three decades, allies (England, France, Russia and Italy) dealt with Crete; and that is largely after America, which had been searching for a base in the Mediterranean, turned its attention to the island. Anyway, the history of the Arkadi Monastery inspired the Cretan people and, apparently, will continue to inspire…

Dead cypress with a fragment of shell in the trunk of the monastery courtyard recalls the tragedy. In the museum of the monastery photos are showing faces of the Greek fighters for independence. A crypt is arranged in the building of the former windmill: the remains of people, who died during the explosion, are stored here… The monastery survived: it was rebuilt; many of its old buildings survived, including the main church with a Venetian facade and a double bell tower—the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord and Saints Constantine, and Helena, a building with cells of the brethren, wine cellars. In the spacious courtyard of the monastery there are many buildings interesting from an architectural point of view. Here you can wander around admiring them. You can go into Mesokoumia—a much elongated domed compartment divided into eight cells, where a hospital was created during the siege in 1866. You can also look into the museum containing both old relics and exhibits of modern times.

But as soon as the bell strikes, sadness covers Arkadi and makes even noisy tourists quiet down. Now you know for whom it tolls. Every year on November 8, а celebration and prayers for the dead are held here.

About the participation in the events of the Greek uprising on Crete, the Russian naval ship “General Admiral”, under the command of Captain 1st rank Ivan Ivanovich Butakov, you can read on the website of our newspaper https://thenewgreece.com/unknown-crete/russian-frigate. “General Admiral”—the largest sailing-steam wooden frigate in the Russian fleet with crew of 793 people.

The site of the monastery: http://www.arkadimonastery.gr/index.php?homeen

Visiting hours in November: 09.00-17.00.