<The Monastery of Toplou on Crete
The Monastery of Toplou is located in the northeast of Crete, not far from the famous palm beach of Vai and the ancient site of Itanos. It is indicated by a sign and can be reached via an exit on the road leading from Sitia to Palekastro. The distance to Palekastro is about 6 kilometers. The monastery dates from the mid 15th century and is surrounded by a 10 meter high wall and makes the impression that it is a fortress. At the monastery stands a 33 meter high bell tower, which you can already see from a long distance.
The Monastery of Toplou is the only monastery which can be found in the area near Sitia: all other monasteries have been destroyed in the course of time by pirates or war. Toplou also had a cannon and cannonballs to keep intruders at bay. The name comes from the time of Turkish rule who gave the monastery its name, and literally means "with the cannon ball" (top = cannon ball in Turkish). Still, the Turks managed in 1821 to capture the monastery and they killed all the monks away. The Maltese knights conquered the monastery in 1530. In 1612 it was badly damaged by an earthquake.
In the monastery there are old 15th century icons and there is an interesting museum in which valuable religious objects are exhibited, such as bibles, clothing and gold and silver objects. Today the monks also produce wine for their livelihood (about 60,000 bottles per year).