In 2018 HSPN used part of the donations in memory of Konstantinos Mitsotakis, former PM of Greece, for the creation of a Botanical Garden of medicinal and aromatic plants of Crete, in collaboration with the Holy Monastery of Chrysopigi in Chania. The garden is located near the village Varypetro near Chania, in a lush valley between the monastic dependency of Saint Kyriaki and the Monastery of Metamorphosis at Kastro (the Byzantine castle Kastellos). The plot for the creation of the Botanical Garden was kindly provided by the Holy Sisterhood of Chrysopigi.
The purpose of the garden is the protection as well as the promotion of the medicinal and aromatic plants of the Cretan land, as well as the use of the Botanical Garden for environmental education for visitors and pupils. In addition, the Botanical Garden is situated at the trailhead of the hiking route starting from the valley between the two monasteries, un the way to the White Mountains (“Lefka Ori”).
