Continuing on from the Aposelemis Dam takes you to Kerá, home to one of Crete’s most cherished monasteries, the Panagia Kardiotissa. Its teensy chapel is embellished with 14th-century frescoes depicting scenes from the life of Christ and the Virgin, but locals especially venerate an 18th-century icon of the Virgin and Child. Legend has it that the Turks spirited it thrice to Constantinople but it miraculously returned each time, despite being chained to a marble pillar.
You’ll find the icon on the left of the iconostatis (the wall that separates the nave from the sanctuary), next to the chains; the marble pillar is outside. There’s also a small museum with religious paraphernalia.
