Long ago, when Greece welcomed us every season, my wife and I were exploring the Chania region of Crete and found ourselves in one of the island’s most striking monasteries. It looked as if it had always been there, and it entered our memory as one of those places you don’t find on a map but by intuition.
Of course, we were greeted by cats at the entrance.
As we later learned, the Agia Triada Monastery was built in the 17th century. Its architecture is a rare fusion of Venetian Renaissance and Byzantine traditions, deeply rooted in Orthodox culture. On our travels, we often visit monasteries — not out of religious conviction, but out of interest in architecture and a quiet longing for islands of stillness.
This one turned out to be not only peaceful — there were no tourists at all that day — but also full of unexpected discoveries.
Notice the small round protrusion on the right side of the wall.
It is an electric doorbell. We found several like it, mostly near doors to monks’ cells or other living quarters. In this photo, however, there is no door next to the bell — perhaps someone expanded their living space.
We also noticed a plaque with an ancient Greek inscription next to one of the closed doors. At the time, we never found out what lay behind it. Only years later did modern search tools reveal that the word simply says «museum.»
Walking through the arcades of the inner courtyards was both pleasant and rich in detail. The layout of passages and staircases allowed us to climb to different levels, including the walls.
Several small courtyards were completely immersed in greenery and flowers.
If my memory serves me right, it was quite hot that day, so we sat for about half an hour on benches shaded by bushes.
Later, we climbed the walls to take in the surroundings.
Gardens and olive groves stretched out around the monastery.
Despite its compact appearance from the outside, the monastery complex contained many buildings. What impressed me most was that everything — doors, windows, galleries — was executed in a single, unified style. No chaos, only order.
The only «chaos» during our walk came from curious cats constantly weaving around our feet. At one point, I even had to trick them — I quickly stepped away, circled behind, and took a picture of them looking in surprise at the spot where I had just stood.
In fact, I have only a few photos from that day. But even from these, I was able to recall our small but vivid adventure. ⛪
's travels
