The Convent of Chrysopigi, just outside Chania, is dedicated to Mother Mary, the Life-Giving Font (Panagia Zoodochos Pigi).
The convent is built like a fortress and it was founded as a monastery by Ioannis Chartophylakas, at the end of the 16th century.
During Venetian rule it was a significant spiritual centre with a well-stocked library. Its stopped flourishingwith the Ottoman siege in the summer of 1645, when Philotheos Skoufos, the Father Superior, escaped to the Ionian Islands, taking with him the holy heirlooms of the monastery.
Since then the place was deserted until it was restored in the 18th century. During the Liberation Revolution against the Ottomans it was burnt down. After 1830 it played an important ecclesiastical role, but during the Second World War the Nazis obliged the monks to leave and caused serious damage to the buildings. In 1976 Chrysopigi was restored and became a convent.
In the interior of the church dedicated to the Life-giving Font (Zoodochos Pigi), there are wonderful icons of the 19th century and a wonderfully carved wooden iconostasis.
On display at the ecclesiastical museum there are on display icons from the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries along with holy utensils and old hand-written books. Within the convent premises there is also a small folk museum.
