50 km southeast of Heraklion, just before the village of Kera.

The earliest mention of the name of the monastery is in a document of 1333, at a time when it was a fief of the Latin Patriarchate of Constantinople. Its foundation may be linked to the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary, which is now in the Church of St. Alfonso in Esquilino, Rome, and is traditionally the work of St. Lazarus, a monk and iconographer of the 9th century. It is an icon of the Infant Jesus, who holds the infant Jesus in her left arm, on her heart (pronounced “kardia” in greek), hence the name “Kardiotissa”.

According to tradition, the icon of the Virgin Mary Vrefokratousa (the one holding the holy Child) was taken to Constantinople during Iconoclasm, but returned home alone. There was another attempt to transport it, during which it was even chained to a marble pillar, but it returned again, tied to the column that is now on display in the courtyard of the monastery. During the Venetian period, the icon was stolen by a wine merchant and taken to Rome, only to be replaced by another icon, which is now considered equally miraculous. Even this was stolen in 1982 by antiquities thieves.

During the Cretan Revolution (1866-1867) the monastery was a base for Cretan rebels.

From the original, fortress-like monastery, which is dedicated to the birth of the Virgin Mary, only the katholikon is preserved today, which shows four building phases. The original one-room church of the Virgin Mary is now used as a sacred platform and is separated from the rest of the site by an iconostasis.

The oldest fresco decoration is preserved in the area of the current sanctuary. The Hierarchs who are in the process of working together are depicted below the niche’s “Vrefokratousa-the holder of the Child” and the Annunciation is depicted on the sides of the triumphal arch. The Ascension is depicted on the arched ceiling of the original sanctuary and on the rest of the ceiling a circle with scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary is depicted. The style is typical of the first decades of the 14th century and links this painting with the region of Macedonia.

Panagia Kera or Kardiotissa is one of the most important monastic complexes in Crete and welcomes a large number of visitors every day.