Arkadi Monastery, one of the most important Monasteries in Crete, is 23 km from Rethymno. Its foundation is traditionally attributed to emperor Heraclius, while it was reconstructed in the 5th century by Byzantine emperor Arcadius, after whom it was eventually named. However, according to certain references contradicting this view, it was founded by a monk called Arcadius and it was named after him. The monastery has been an eminent intellectual center since the 16th century: the monks used to transcribe mostly ecclesiastical books, while there was also an extensive collection of books written in the ancient times, as well as a school in the monastery.
Arkadi Monastery gained international fame thanks to its involvement in the Cretan Revolt and its highlight in November 1866, when the Turkish troops led siege to the monastery where 700 women and children and 260 Cretan fighters were locked after the Abbot refused to surrender. Two days after the siege had started and when the walls began collapsing, women, children and male fighters gathered in the room where they used to store gunpowder under the command of Constantinos Yampoudakis, set a fire and blew the monastery, killing some Turks as well. This is considered as one of the most important events in the history of Crete and it is the reason why Unesco announced Arkadi as a European monument of Liberty.
The monastery was eventually rebuilt and restored in its initial form, while only the half-burnt altar and a cannonball stuck on a cypress outside the monastery remain as evidence of the tragedy and the blood that was shed. Nowadays, the monastery celebrates on 8th November, that is the anniversary of the Arkadi Monastery Holocaust.