Monastery Palianis

Monastery Palianis is one of the oldest in Crete. It was established during the first Byzantine period and was built on the ruins of an ancient temple.
There are two theories regarding its name. According to the first one, it used to be named Palaia Moni, meaning "old monastery", which was later shortened to Paliani. Another claim is that it got its name from Apolonia, an ancient city that is believed to have existed in the area.

The monastery was demolished during the Ottoman Occupation, and almost all the nuns were killed. Sister Parthenia, who survived, funded the rebuilding of the monastery, which started in 1826 and ended in 1860. Unfortunately, it was attacked again by the Turks in 1866, who burned it and destroyed or sold many of its icons.