Festival

Chrysoskalitissa Monastery Panigyri (Dekapentavgoustos)

The 15 August pilgrimage feast at the white cliff-top monastery above Elafonissi: morning liturgy, then an evening panigyri.

On 15 August the whitewashed monastery of Chrysoskalitissa, perched on its rock above Elafonissi with the Libyan Sea below, keeps the feast of the Dormition of the Virgin. The day opens with the morning liturgy and the climb up the golden stair, then the settlement gathers for a panigyri in one of the most dramatic settings for a feast anywhere in Crete. It is a pilgrimage first and a celebration second, remote, moving and worth the long drive to the far southwest corner of the island. Bring water and go early if you want to beat the Elafonissi crowds.