The monastery is located between the villages of Zaros and Vorizia, 49km away from Heraklion.
We don’t know when the monastery was founded but we have written references about it in documents of the 15th and 16th centuries. The monastery flourished during the Venetian occupation, and that is reflected in its beautiful wall paintings. The Ottomans attacked the monastery during the revolution of 1866 in retaliation for the monks’ contribution to the liberation struggle.
Today for the most part the old facilities are destroyed. Only some emblematic features are still preserved: the relief fountain of the 15th century with a representation of Adam and Eve; the two-aisled church dedicated to Saint Antonius and apostle Thomas; and the belltower. Inside the church there are excellent quality wall paintings that date to the 14th century. In addition to those, the monastery housed some famous byzantine icons created by Michael Damaskinos, the famous byzantine painter, which are today kept in the collection of Saint Catherine of Sina, in Heraklion.