Arkoudiotissa Cave
Encyclopedia
Arkoudiotissa is a cave in the municipality of Akrotiri on the Greek
island of Crete
. From Gouverneto Monastery
, the path to the cave is only accessible by foot. Arkoudiotissa ("she-bear"), is noted for its stalagmite
which is said to look like a bear. This cave is believed to have been used for worship since ancient times (as there is evidence for cults of Artemis
and Apollo
), but was dedicated to the Arkoudiotissa Panaghia (Our Lady) during the Christian era. Ascetics lived in the caves in the area.
Further along the path, after a descent of 140 steps, is the Katholikon (monastic church), the third monastery, now abandoned. It is believed to date from the 5th or 6th Century, founded by St John the Hermit. It is built into the cliff, with a unique church largely carved into the rock-face. This striking set of buildings is now overgrown with fig trees but retains significant charm.
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
island of Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
. From Gouverneto Monastery
Gouverneto Monastery
Gouverneto Monastery or Our Lady of the Angels is a Greek Orthodox monastery in the Akrotiri peninsular of the Chania Prefecture of Crete, Greece, located about 5 kilometres north of the Agia Triada Monastery....
, the path to the cave is only accessible by foot. Arkoudiotissa ("she-bear"), is noted for its stalagmite
Stalagmite
A stalagmite is a type of speleothem that rises from the floor of a limestone cave due to the dripping of mineralized solutions and the deposition of calcium carbonate. This stalagmite formation occurs only under certain pH conditions within the underground cavern. The corresponding formation on...
which is said to look like a bear. This cave is believed to have been used for worship since ancient times (as there is evidence for cults of Artemis
Artemis
Artemis was one of the most widely venerated of the Ancient Greek deities. Her Roman equivalent is Diana. Some scholars believe that the name and indeed the goddess herself was originally pre-Greek. Homer refers to her as Artemis Agrotera, Potnia Theron: "Artemis of the wildland, Mistress of Animals"...
and Apollo
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
), but was dedicated to the Arkoudiotissa Panaghia (Our Lady) during the Christian era. Ascetics lived in the caves in the area.
Further along the path, after a descent of 140 steps, is the Katholikon (monastic church), the third monastery, now abandoned. It is believed to date from the 5th or 6th Century, founded by St John the Hermit. It is built into the cliff, with a unique church largely carved into the rock-face. This striking set of buildings is now overgrown with fig trees but retains significant charm.