Monastery of Keras Kardiotissa

High on the north slopes of Mount Dikti, some 650 metres above sea level and about fifty kilometres east of Heraklion, the Monastery of Keras Kardiotissa keeps watch beside the road to the Lasithi Plateau. This Greek Orthodox house, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, traces its foundation to the Byzantine era, with a date of 1301 marking its early history. Protected as a heritage building in Greece, the monastery rewards the traveler who climbs into these mountains with quiet architecture and a long, layered past.