Places
Agios Myron (St. Myron)
The impressive church of St. Myron holds a conspicuous position at the west of the village named after it. The church was the seat of an Orthodox Diocese from the Early Byzantine era to the era of Venetian rule. It was initially an Early Christian basilica that was converted in the 11th-12th century into a […]
Sotiras (Afentis) Christos (Redeemer (Lord) Christ) (Yiouchtas)
The church of Christ the Redeemer is tetramartyros (with four dedications) and is dedicated to the Transfiguration of Christ (August 6), the Holy Cincture (August 31), the Holy Apostles (30 June) and the Holy Unmercenaries (July 1). It was founded in 1443 and is the only remainder of the monastery that was in operation here […]
Agios Minas (St. Menas) (Episkopi)
St. Menas is the patron saint of the Diocese of Heraklion. It is a two-aisled church erected in 1882, with its northern aisle dedicated to the Dormition of Mother Mary and its southern aisle to St. Menas. One of the most noteworthy elements of the church is its marble chancel screen.
Aghiou Petrou & Pavlou (St. Peter & St. Paul) Church
The church was built during the early era of Venetian rule next to the sea wall of the city and served as the Catholicon of the Monastery of the Dominican Order. In its initial form, it was a single-aised wooden-roofed church and four chapels were gradually added to it. Its architecture is particularly interesting, as […]
Agios Titos (St. Titus)
The church of St. Titus was the largest and most magnificent church in the city during the 2nd Byzantine era, serving as the Metropolis of the Diocese of Crete. During the era of Venetian rule, it served as the seat of the Latin Archbishop, while during the Ottoman era, it was converted into a mosque, […]
Panagia ton Stavroforon (Mother Mary of the Crusaders)
The Mother Mary of the Crusaders is part of a Latin monastery of the Crusaders (Crosecchieri), the remaining structures of which no longer survive. It is a three-aisled basilica with an elevated nave. It was destroyed by German bombs during the Battle of Crete in 1941 and was restored in 1956.
Old Metropolitan Church of Agios Minas (St. Menas)
This is the ‘small’ church of St. Menas and the Pantanassa (Most Holy Queen of All), with its intricate, gilded, wood-carved chancel screen and its valuable 18th century icons painted by renowned Cretan hagiographers. The church is linked to a bloody incident in the city’s history, as it was the site where, in June 1821, […]
Metropolitan Church of Agios Minas (St. Menas)
The big church of St. Menas, to the northeast of the small one, was built between 1862–1895 by a practical architect from Epirus, Athanasios Mousis, with frequent contributions of the monasteries and donations from hundreds of Christians, as can be noted from the church’s manuscript books of donations. It is an eclectic monument whose architectural […]
All – Holy Virgin the Galatiani at Malia
Τhe three-aisled church of the All-Holy Virgin in the old centre of the settlement of Malia is the result of successive interpolations to an original single-nave church, the present nave. During the late Venetian period, the church was expanded with the addition of the north and south aisles. The original church has good quality wall […]