At 850 m height at Lasithi plateau, on a small hill full of oak and maple trees, is located one of the most historically important monasteries of Crete, the Monastery of Kroustallenia.

The Monastery, which is very close to Tzermiado,  Agios Konstantinos and Marmaketo villages, is said to exist since the B’ Byzantine period of Crete (961-1204). Also, it is worth mentioning the fact that during the Venetian invasion, the Monastery was used as a place where the rebels gathered and that is the reason that the whole plateau destroyed by Venetians.

In 1543 the Kroustallenia Monastery is brought back to life by the nun Pallantia Ntanasi. But in 1867 due to its revolutionary action one more time the monastery is destroyed by Turkish intruders.

The Monastery today is housing a few monks and it celebrates Mary on the 15th of August.