The Monastery of Kapsas, or, better,
the Monastery of Aghios Ioannis Prodromos (St.
John the Baptist) is situated within a rocky and
wild area of magic beauty, facing the Libyan
Sea, between the beaches of Makrygialos and
Goudouras; it is found at a distance of 9
kilometers eastern to Makryg ialos, 32
kilometers far from Ierapetra at the East, 35
kilometers southern to Sitia and 67 kilometers
southeastern to Aghios Nicolaos.
The Monastery seems to have been established in
the 15 th century; up to the mid-19 th century
there was still a church dedicated to Aghios
Ioannis, within a cave, as well as a few cells
for the monks.
After this period of time, the Monastery became
famous thanks to an odd monk named Joseph, who
pretended to have visions and to be able to heal
incurable diseases. Due to this fame, big crowds
of people arrived to the monastery, bringing
votive offerings to this peculiar “saint”. This
latter used all this to renovate and extend the
Monastery and the cells of the monks. During
1869-1870 he called famous wood carvers and
hagiographers to decorate the church. Later on,
his grandson continue this task, by restoring
and extending again the rest of the Monastery;
also he brought water and cultivated the fields
around.