Toplou Monastery
The monastery Toplou , Greek Μονή Τοπλού, Moni Toplou , is located in the east of the island of Crete , approx. 20 km from Sitia . It was probably founded in the 14th century.
The name Toplou comes from the Turkish toplu and means something like "a building that has a cannon" or "tidy".
In the course of its eventful history, the monastery was destroyed and rebuilt several times. Today the monastery has been extensively reconstructed and presents itself to the numerous visitors as a small gem. Long ago the monks of the monastery were self-sufficient, a restored old windmill in the outer courtyard is evidence of this.
The monastery is famous for its icon museum, in which the great icon Megas ei Kyrie ("Almighty are you, oh Lord"), a work by the then 25-year-old painter Joannis Kornaros from 1770 is kept. This major icon is one of the most important sacred works of art of the Orthodox Greek Church and today brings numerous art lovers to the monastery.
In the 1980s, the abbot of the monastery was able to win one of the few fresco painters who are still active in Greece for the monastery. Manolis Betinakis, who was dependent on a wheelchair, produced various frescoes depicting the Acts of the Apostles , in strong colors and with the highest level of artistry. The room with the frescoes is only accessible by prior arrangement.
literature
- Lambert Schneider : Crete . 4th updated edition. DuMont Reiseverlag, Ostfildern 2006, ISBN 3-7701-3801-5 (DuMont art travel guide).
Web links
Coordinates: 35 ° 13 '17.9 " N , 26 ° 12' 58.1" E