The Monastery of Taxiarches is located near the village of Galani and is of great architectural interest. It was built in 1572, it is a male monastery and in 1617 was founded in its spaces a mutual learning school which owned many Venetian estates and great wealth.
The building has a fortress character, it is built on a high enclosure, has only one entrance at a height of 4 meters, embrasures and a mobile ladder. This construction is due to the fact that the wealth of the monastery had gained a great reputation, attracting the pirates, whom the monks were forced to fight.
The monastery is dedicated to the Archangels Michael and Gabriel, who are also the protectors of the island, and their icon which was transferred from Cyprus is considered a miraculous one.
The temple’s architectural style is trikonchos (similar to byzantine style), single-room with a dome. Its frescoes, part of which are preserved today, are attributed to Emmanuel Skordilis and illustrate the struggle of the Archangel with the beast of the Apocalypse, the Dragon, who swallows kings and bishops. The icons of the iconostasis are considered a characteristic sample of the Cretan hagiographic school.
Particularly interesting is also the embossed two-headed eagle on the marble ground (1659) it the inside the church, while in the treasures of the monastery there are considerable religious vessels, manuscripts and the Holy Code (of 1754).
In 1909, in the Monastery was also founded a library.
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