Moni Keras, Orthodox monastery in Hersonissos Municipality, Greece

Moni Keras is an Orthodox monastery on the northern slopes of Mount Dikti in the municipality of Hersonissos, Crete, sitting at around 650 meters above sea level. The complex consists of a main church and several smaller buildings arranged around a central courtyard.

The monastery is first documented in 1333, in connection with the icon of the All-Holy Virgin the Kardiotissa. In 1498 a wine merchant carried that icon to Rome, where it is kept in the Church of St. Alphonsus; a replacement icon, also held to be miraculous, was installed in 1735. In 1720 the monastery became stauropegic, independent of the local bishop, and under Ottoman rule it served as a meeting point and school and suffered retaliatory attacks.

The monastery takes its name from an icon of the Virgin Kardiotissa, said to have been painted by St. Lazaros during Iconoclasm. The original was taken to Rome in 1498; the icon venerated since 1735 stands left of the iconostasis beside chains that the devout wrap around themselves before kissing it. The Birth of Mary is celebrated on 8 September.

The monastery is open to visitors throughout the year, though opening hours shift between summer and winter. Sturdy footwear is a good idea, as some of the paths around the site are uneven and the terrain is hilly.

The monastery keeps a miraculous icon from 1735 that was made as a replacement for an original now held in the Church of Saint Alphonsus in Rome. Few visitors know about this direct link between a remote Cretan hillside and a Roman church.