Museum of the Monastery of Chrysopigi

  The monastery was founded during the last phase of the Venetian rule in Crete, by the end of the 16th century. Its original founder (ktetor) was Ioannis Chartofilakas, an eminent scholar and important figure of the Chania society of that time. Gradually the monastery developed a distinctive intellectual tradition which continued to thrive during the Ottoman rule period until the Greek War of Independence. In 1821 the monastery was burnt down by the Turks, but it was restored during the 19th century. In the Second World War the monks were once more expelled violently from the monastery, which was used as the headquarters of the German administration. A period of decline followed for the monastery until 1976, when it was renovated fundamentally and converted into a female monastery.
  Today the monastic community, committed to its spiritual mission, develops a multi-faceted cultural and environmental activity. Of particular importance are its two museum collections, the ecclesiastical and folklore collection respectively.
  The Ecclesiastical Collection includes a valuable ensemble of portable Postbyzantine icons of the renown Cretan School of icon painting (15th-17th centuries), various ecclesiastical heirlooms, as well as a book and manuscript collection. The exhibits of the folklore collection derive mainly from the area of folk art (traditional embroidering and costumes, specimens of popular woodcarving etc.)
  Among the most important exhibits of the museum are:
• The portable icons of the old templon which was destroyed by fire in 1821, namely those of "Christos Pantokrator" (Christ Almighty), "Agios Vassileios" (Saint Basil), "Saint Nicholas" (painted by Emmanuel Skordiles), "The Dormition of the Theotokos (Mother of God)", "Angel Gabriel", "Christ the Vine", all of them works of the Cretan School painters. The oldest icon dates to the early 15th century.
• Ecclesiastical gold embroidery of the 18th and 19th centuries.