Preveli Crete
Still in the prefecture of Rethymno. But down on the south coast
of the island, is the idyllic area of Preveli. The mouth of
the River Kourtaliotis meets the Libyan sea here and forms a
delightful lagoon, fringed with palm trees and oleanders.
Unusual and tropical but also, because of this, quite busy in
the summer months. A few metres out of the village of Asomatos,
past the Kourtaliotis ravine, there is a road on the left-hand
side, which is half asphalted and half dirt road, which leads
through lush green countryside to Preveli and the monastery of
the same name. Moni Prevelis lies around 35.5km south of
Rethymno and the monastery is constructed on top of a hill,
looking out to the sea. Today only two monks reside there
although it has a heroic and glorious history. The monastery was
founded in the 16th/17th century and is dedicated to St. John
the Theologian. The enchanting area where it is built has
attracted many travellers over time including the British
Admiral Sprait who, on seeing it, remarked that this place was
the paradise of Crete. Tradition tells that the name of the
monastery comes from a feudal chieftain named Prevelis, who came
from nearby Ardaktos. He dedicated his lands to the monastery
and also built the small church of St. John there.
Preveli, as with many other Cretan monasteries, offered
important assistance during the struggles for liberation from
the Turkish occupation. For example, in the 1866 revolution it
provided refuge to the revolutionaries until it was completely
destroyed by Ressit Pasha. Furthermore, during the Second World
War, the monastery assisted the Greek resistance against the
Nazis. As retribution, the Germans vandalized and plundered the
monastery and part of their spoils was the golden Holy Cross
which they attempted to take back to Germany. However, after
three failed attempts to fly out of Crete with the Cross, they
returned it back to the monastery believing it was some kind of
miracle. In 1941, after the Battle of Crete, the monastery
offered refuge to a great number of Allied soldiers who hid
there waiting for submarines to take them off the island. Today,
in Australia, there is a park named Preveli in recognition of
gratitude to the monastery for saving the lives of many
Australian soldiers. The museum of the monastery has some fine
exhibits including sacramental vestments, ecclesiastical
artefacts and several interesting documents including one about
the monastery itself which was written by Gregory V in 1789.
There is also a very fine library.
The present church of St. John (Agios Ioannis) was built in 1836
but partially destroyed in the 1866 revolution. It was renovated
in 1911. The present rooms of the Abbots were built around 1900
of which there are twenty cells and also guest quarters which
are in the old abbot's room. Inside the church there is the
miraculous gilded Holy Cross studded with precious stones and
"holy wood" .
