Restoration

It is our firm belief that Kapsaliana must survive and continue to contribute to the local culture.  The rationale behind the restoration is that the settlement represents not only a living memory of the past but also a revived cultural centre which promotes a variety of activities as well as respect for the environment.  The olive culture is one of the focal points with emphasis on its symbolism, its importance in religions, its role in Cretan life, diet and art.

With respect to the original architecture, we embarked on an extended painstaking restoration of the buildings of the settlement, which had been ruined by years of abandonment and neglect.  The original houses have been restored into comfortable guest houses and rooms using only natural materials.  New houses have been added in the same architectural forms.

The Monastery Olive Press, the attached house of the caretaker monk and the storage area, with its gigantic “pitharia” (clay storage vessels) are protected medieval monuments which focus on the olive culture in Crete and can be visited, much like a museum. The area is decorated with fascinating artefacts from the days the Olive Press was in use.