The monastery of Panagia Spiliotissa is located 22 km south of Iraklion, between the villages Choudetsi and Agios Vasilios. It is hidden in the sides of the lush green Spiliotissa canyon and can be easily accessed by walking on a green path, 500m long, from Choudetsi. Along this path you will see the Byzantine churches of St. John and Anthony, and two old water mills.
The temple is built inside the rock and is dedicated to the Assumption. According to one version, it was firstly founded in about 1000 AD, but the dominant option is that the monastery was founded in the early 17th century. Alternatively, the church might was built in the 11th century, but it much later operated as a monastery. The foundation of the church is linked to the finding of the icon of Panagia (Virgin Mary) in the cave, where the temple is currently built. Later the monastery became a dependency of Sinai St. Catherine monastery, where it belongs even today. The monastery was originally male, but it now operates as a small nunnery.
Choudetsi (also written as Houdetsi) is a large village surrounded by a picturesque landscape with rich vegetation and the impressive rocks of the Spiliotissa gorge cliffs. The village has a long musical tradition, with renowned rhyme improvisers and noteworthy instrument makers. This musical tradition bears the stamp of the musician Ross Daly who cooperated with the Municipality to create the ‘Labyrinth’ Musical Workshop, a lively hub of musical tradition and culture. I highly recommend a visit of the old mansion where ‘Labyrinth’ is housed. It hosts a museum with more than 200 modal instruments of traditional music from Crete, the eastern Mediterranean, India, the Caucasus region, the Middle East and Central Asia.
Annually, at the beginning of August, the Choudetsi Music Festival takes place. Don’t miss it if you visit the region in August. The festival is jointly organised by ‘Labyrinth’ and the local community, it is a 4 day celebration of music, food and art. Every night from 21:00 till the morning there are concerts on five stages in the village. I hid the cache during the festival, and it was not easy to act without being observed by the plenty of muggles that camped in the canyon ...
Read more:
http://www.cretanbeaches.com/en/religious-monuments-on-crete/monasteries-in-crete/panagia-spiliotissa-monastery-in-houdetsi#ixzz4HgV1Xplu
http://www.archanes-asterousia.gr/route.php?route=3_8&lang=en
The cache is hidden close to the monastery. It is a small plastic container with a logbook, a pencil and some items to trade. Happy hunting!