Large family rock-hewn tomb discovered in “Em. Mathioulaki” excavation

Large family rock-hewn tomb discovered in “Em. Mathioulaki” excavation in 1981 It belongs to the Hellenistic cemetery of Kydonia (end of 4th – mid 3rd century B.C.) and it is underground. A long road (length 5.80 m and 1.00 m wide) with 15 steps leads to the entrance of the tomb. The tomb consists of a rectangular chamber with a vaulted ceiling surrounded by nine burial chambers with doors, four on each side and one in the chamber’s end. On the top of each door were written in charcoal or were engraved inscriptions with the names of the dead.

In total, 15 dead with Cretan names were buried there, five men, seven women and three children. The dead were buried with personal staff in accordance with the burial customs of the time, such as lamps, pottery, alabaster, mirrors gold jewelry, toys, etc. The tomb reveals the relationship of the city with the Hellenistic Alexandria. Corresponding tombs have been found in the necropolis of Fayoum and Bead. The presence of several graves of that shape is related Kydonia and may indicate the existence of a particular social class who had close relations with Alexandria of the Ptolemies.

Monastery of Zoodochos Pigi (Chrysopigi)

The Monastery of Zoodochos Pigi or Chrysopigi was founded in the middle of the 16th century by the doctor Ioannis Hartofylakas, southeast of the city of Chania, in a place where an older Monastery was operating. It has the shape of an elongated quadrilateral, with the monks’ cells and the rest of the premises being built around the Monastery. The catholicon, a three-aisled church with a dome, is dedicated to Panagia Zoodochos Pigi and is located in the middle of the building complex. The eastern wing of the Monastery was built after 1745, while the narthex and the two chapels of the church are additions of the 19th century.

The first testimony about this particular monastery can be found in 1584 and concerns a letter from the Patriarch of Alexandria Meletios Pigas to the hieromonk Dionysios of Chrysopigi, while in the following decades Hartofylakas would request permission to dedicate estates to his Monastery with letters to the Venetian administration. During the Venetian rule, the Monastery will develop financially, but also spiritually, as it will come into contact with the Patriarch of Alexandria, Kyrillo Loukaris.

In 1645 the abbot of the Monastery Philotheos Skoufos with 34 monks fought the Ottomans, however this action probably went unnoticed by the conquerors, as the monastery was not destroyed during the war. In 1654 it acquired the value of a cross and in 1681 it was united with the Monastery of Agios Eleftherios. In the following years, until the revolution of 1821, the Monastery will continue to develop financially and during this period it will acquire the majority of shares with huge estates, olive groves and vineyards. The brotherhood of the Monastery will take part in the revolution and will be forced to leave it. Her shares will be abandoned and the monastery will burn.

The first monks will return in 1838, while the headquarters of the Monastery, which had been transferred in 1826 to the Monastery of Agios Eleftherios, will return in 1848. From then on, a period of reconstruction of the monastery will begin with the restoration of the damages, but also the construction of new buildings. In the revolution of 1897 it was once again in serious danger, however the building complex of the Monastery did not suffer serious damage. During the 20th century the Monastery began to decline. Its enormous property was expropriated by the reserve fund and shortly afterwards, in 1941, the monks were forced to leave it, as it was turned into a command post for the Germans.

In 1976, it was converted into a women’s monastery and restored from the ground up by the new brotherhood, which has since continued the rich social and spiritual work of this historic monastic institution.

Monastery of Our Lady of the Angels (Gouverneto)

The Monastery of Gouverneto or Our Lady of the Angels, as it is typically called, is located on the outskirts of a small plateau, to the northeast of Cape Melecha. It began to be built in the period 1537-1548, at an altitude of 260 meters, by monks and ascetics who built it on top of a pre-existing ancient temple. However, the construction works were completed during the Ottoman rule, after a special permit granted by the Ottomans.

The complex has a fortress architecture with four towers in its corners with battlements, of which only two survive today. It measures 40 x 50 meters and has about 50 cells on two floors. The catholicon is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, which is why it is also called the Monastery of Our Lady of the Angels. It has a cruciform shape and a dome and features columns and sculptural decoration according to Italian influences. Around the monastery’s catholicon are the other buildings of the complex, such as the bank, the small museum, etc. In the cemetery of the Monastery is also the chapel of Agia Paraskevi, while it has two other chapels, that of Agios Ioannis the Herimitis and Agioi Deka, as well as a number of small shares in the wider area of Akrotiri.

During the Venetian rule, the Monastery presented a remarkable spiritual movement and in 1637 it was one of the largest monasteries on the island with many monks, shares and important assets. During the first years of Ottoman rule, the Monastery (Bali Manastir – honey monastery, as the Turks typically called it) was the seat of the Metropolitan of Crete. During the Revolution of 1821 the Monastery was looted and many monks lost their lives. A few years later, in the 1830s, the Governorate began to reorganize and in 1894 the work of finishing the sanctuary of Our Lady of the Angels and more specifically the facade and the two side chapels were completed. During the Second World War, the Germans installed an outpost, however the Monastery continued to carry out its spiritual and social work, offering shelter and food to the local wintering population. Today, this historic Monastery is an important place of pilgrimage with an active presence in the religious and social life of the place under the blessing of the new brotherhood that resides in it.

The Monastery of Agia Triada Tzagarolon

The Holy Monastery of Agia Triada Tzagarolon or Mourtaron is located on the peninsula of Akrotiri, near the airport of Chania, on the foothills of Stavros. It is named “Tzagarolon” by the Venetians founders Jeremiah and Laurentius Tzagarolas that were invited to rebuild the older existed small monastery on the same place. Jeremiah began to build a large complex around 1611, and after his death in 1634, his brother Lawrence continued the construction.

The monastery complex is quadrangular, surrounded by a strong rectangular fortification. Inside there is a paved yard, while the center is dominated by the church of the Holy Trinity, who belongs to the architectural type of triconch domed and chapels on the ground floor and the floor. The woodcut iconostasis follows the Cretan tradition of its era, with Baroque elements, while most of the images were created in the mid-^19th century by the painter Mercurio from Santorini, which follows the standards of post-Byzantine style. Also, in the Monastery there are the only existing photos of the famous painter Emmanuel Skordili.

The external part of the monastery includes vaulted spaces for the processing and the storage of agricultural products, oil and wine. In the complex there is also a two-storey cemetery complex with the ossuary on the ground floor and the chapel of Christ, a large dining hall, the library, the monk cells, the abbot, the ossuary, a large rainwater storage tank, the press grapes and the stables.

The entrance of the complex is commanding and it is accessible by a grand scale. The facade of the monastery is formed in geometric style, with elements of Renaissance architecture, but the original character has been altered by subsequent interventions.

In 1645, the Ottomans occupied Chania, having as a result the interruption of works redecoration and building work at the base of the big dome. During the Ottoman rule the monastery is known as Selvili Manastir (Monastery of cypresses) and in 1821 was set alight by the conquerors. After the revolution, the monastery was reconstructed and the works related to the construction of the dome, the temple and the church tower are completed.

In 1833, in the monastery had been founded a boarding school and since 1892 there was also a Priestly School. During the revolution of 1897 the monastery was converted into a hospital and headquarters, while at the same time gave asylum to many Christian families. The next few years and more particularly in 1925 and 1952 will lose a significant part of its property for the benefit of the reserve fund. During the occupation suffered several damage from the Germans, who established the Anti- aircraft Artillery School and later, in 1944, an army consisted of 150-200 men.

Today the monastery is an important religious monument, but also an important factor in the economic life of the island, with the cultivation, production and export of green products.

Venetian Harbour of Chania

During the Venetian and Turkish rule, Chania had a fairly developed trade and shipping. Not only the import, but also the export of products and various articles was remarkable. Corresponding to the movement of trade was that of shipping, although relatively few ships operated due to the lack of a wide and safe harbor. From then on, it was generally accepted that the open bay of Chania, exposed to weather conditions, was not particularly suitable for a port. In fact, the natural port of Souda served relevant needs quite satisfactorily. With the capture of the city by the Genoese, the need to create a port was once again confirmed and thus the local authorities were obliged to start actions for its construction. During the Venetian rule, in 1302, the matter was put to the government by Rector Marino Gradenigo and he finally accepted the proposal.

The harbor was first built between 1320 and 1356, when requests for repairs from the city’s agencies began. A major problem was the fact that the harbor was unsuitable and that its eastern basin suffered from siltation created by rainwater or sewage. The ships came and left in a port that was small and relatively shallow and vulnerable to the north and west winds. Thus, the officials’ reports often mention the work being carried out, but also the need to clean and dredge the eastern main basin.

After the revolution of Agios Titos in 1363/64, the port was abandoned and that of Heraklion was used, since Rethymnon had similar problems. During the Venetian rule, in 1515, there is a reference to the dredging of the basin in the Chanio port and the construction of a wall with ramparts along the jetty, which is founded on a series of reefs that made the port inaccessible to ships.

But in 1645 the city falls into the hands of the Turks after a siege. As is known, the conquest of Crete was completed in 1669, after a 25-year war, with the capture of Khandaka, Heraklion. The new conquerors did not show much interest in the maintenance of the port of Chania, which was left completely abandoned. It was not repaired or maintained, with the eastern basin of the port remaining virtually useless throughout the Turkish occupation.

During the years 1831-1841, Crete was granted to the Viceroy of Egypt Mehmet Ali in exchange for the services he rendered to the Sultan during the Revolution of 1821 in Crete and the Peloponnese. Then the value of the port is recognized and how much it can help to improve the local economy. Mehmet Ali is said to have instructed Mustafa Pasha to clean the Chania harbor basin, repair the jetty and build the Lighthouse. Indeed, repairs were carried out to the jetty and dredging of its basin, works which cost (in 1838) 1,146,000 grosci.

Since the years of the Cretan State, the development of the port has been gradually expanding, which has been completed in recent years. In an old publication about the city of Chania at that time, it is mentioned that “The city has mostly cobbled and narrow streets, a small square of Mavrovounia Kalumeni (formerly Sandrivani) and a paved waterfront. The port of Chania is small and relatively shallow, accepting steamships of small capacity in its waters, and is very vulnerable to attack by north and west winds. At its entrance, on the left as far as the diver is concerned, there is a lighthouse with a stationary white light visible from a distance of 12 miles…”.

Venetian dockyards

During the Venetian Occupation (1204-1669) the need for a closer presence of the Venetian fleet in Crete forced Venice to build Neoria (arsenali), where the ships were repaired during the winter.

As early as 1467, Venice ordered the construction of a number of new buildings, two each for the cities of Chania and Rethymnon. The first two neoria in Chania were completed only in 1526. In 1593, the 16 neoria were already built, but they needed repair. In 1599, the southern complex was completed with the construction of the 17^th neorio. In 1607, in parallel with the extension of the north-eastern rampart, the construction of five more neoria, known as Moro’s Neoria, after the name of the General Forecaster who proposed it, begins at the mouth of the port to the east. Of these, two were completed and the walls built up to the beginning of the arch of the third. Later, this third new building was covered with a simple tile roof, which collapsed from the bombings of 1941.

During the years of the Turkish occupation, the lack of maintenance of the port and the degradation of its role led to the abandonment of the original use of the marinas and their conversion mainly into military warehouses. Of the large group of 17 neoria, nine were gradually demolished. Today there is a group of seven consecutive domes and one further west, the Great Arsenali (today the Center for Mediterranean Architecture). From the complex of Moro, two are preserved intact, in the mouth of the port.

In their original form the neoria were open to the sea side, which penetrated inside them up to a point in order to allow boats to be towed. They were vaulted and communicated with each other with arched openings in the thickness of the masonry. The entrance to the neoria was through two gates: one on the south side of the 9^th neoria and another on the west of the 17^th. Neoria are about 50 m long, 9 m wide and 10 m high on average. On the south side there are also the unique lighting openings – one round skylight and two large windows each. The main entrance to the complex was approximately in the middle, at the current end of Daskalogianni Street, where the western half of the majestic gate is also preserved.

The stone building of the new customs office of Chania was built on the site of the demolished youth centers, which today is surrounded by two squares.

Eleftherios Venizelos Square (Syntrivani)

Syntrivani or Mavrovounio Square, as it was called during the Cretan State, (now Eleftheriou Venizelos Square), although small, was the most secular square, the center of discussions and meetings of the Chanians. It was paved, with cafes, hotels, clubs and luxury novelty shops. It was named after a massive fountain, decorated with lions’ heads, to which marble urns were attached as water receptacles. Part of the fountain is today in the Archaeological Museum of Chania.

At the exit of today’s Halidon Street towards the port there is still the Town Hall building, which was used during the Venetian occupation as an admiralty and later as a civil hospital.

From the top of the building in the square, Venizelos delivered his political speeches and there his body was laid to rest in 1936, on the day of his funeral. It was also where the main gathering of citizens took place during the declaration of the anti-dictatorship Movement of 1938 against Metaxas.

The Fountain was closed on the north side by buildings that were destroyed by fire in 1932, thus opening the square to the sea. There were two passages, a narrow one for pedestrians in the north-west part, under a portico formed by the buildings, and a wider one, on the north-east side, for carriages, carts and carts.

«The Syntrivani. Who went to Crete and didn’t learn about it? Who went to Chania and did not become a regular visitor? Who left and forgot? Athens has Syntagma Square, Konstantinopoli the center of Galata Serai, Smyrna the Kai, Corfu its Spianadan, Syros its Square, Patras its Georgiou Square, Paris its Place de la Concorde, London its Trafalgar Square , New York’s Herald Square. Chania has its Fountain and is proud of it… in this small paved square, which is surrounded by cafes and shops and hotels and clubs, the politicians, traders, workers, busy Chania live in winter and summer. There are the prestigious hotels and the elite centers. There are the European spice shops, the luxury and novelty shops, there the small but elegant barbershops, there finally the central market and the political centers, leading to the club of Kondylaki and the historic “sibilkhane”, a kind of lazy river, going back to the ancient times. of the Turkish rule times.

Winter or summer, it doesn’t matter, Syntrivani is always an evergreen center of discussion. There are comments on the Powers’ Note and Boucher’s articles, Gray’s statements and Galli’s telegrams, the Turkish constitution and the works of the Executive. Because, all and all, but the Cretans and especially people from Chania, are politicians. I say especially people from Chania because in Rethymno and Heraklion the world is more practical and more commercial. But in Chania! You can sit from morning until late at night at the Fountain and never run out of conversation. The entire political history of Crete, with its struggles, adventures, joys and disappointments, passes daily in narratives, from which a foreigner will always learn a detail that he did not know…”.

Today, a modern marble fountain has been placed in the square.

Church of St. Rocco

It is preserved in good condition in the northwest corner of Splantzia square, near the church of Agios Nikolaos. It consists of two arched aisles of different shapes, of which the northern one was the oldest, a simple construction without any decoration.

On the contrary, the south aisle has been built entirely of carved masonry, according to the architectural concepts of Venetian Mannerism. It is a building with accentuated joints in the pesses, which ends on its narrow sides in a triangular pediment, without a cornice. The main west face has the vertical axis accentuated by a doorway, a rectangular frame for an inscription and a round skylight.

On the south side, the center occupies a doorway with a triangular pediment and two large windows. Under the cornice there is an inscription: “Dedicated to the excellent and greatest God and to the Divine Rocco. 1630”. The inscription D(IVO) ROCCO (to Uncle Rocco) is also present on the front. The temple seems to have been built after some plague epidemic from which, as is known, Saint Roccos protected.

Firkas Fortress

The fortress at the north-west end of the harbour, which retains the Turkish name Firka (barracks), was built to protect the entrance to the harbour. A chain from Firkas to the base of the lighthouse closed the harbor in case of a siege. In the fortress was the headquarters of the Military Commander of the city. Internally, the space was configured into barracks and warehouses of war material. In the doorway of the first floor there is the inscription “ALOYSIUS BRACADEUS PROVISOR CYDONIAE M.DCXX”.

The buildings of the west wing are arranged on two floors with vaulted rooms. In about the middle of the courtyard there is a large tank that collected the water from the roofs. During the years of the Turkish occupation and until relatively recently, Firkas was used as a barracks, but also as a prison. On December ¹, 1913, in an official ceremony, the Greek flag of the Union of Crete with Greece was raised in the corner turret – watchtower of the fortress. Present were the then King of Greece Constantine, Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos, admiral Kountouriotis, the surviving fighters – chieftains of the Cretan Revolutions and crowds of people.

This anniversary is commemorated every year with the organization of a similar official ceremony and the Greek flag is symbolically hung again on the mast of the fortress.

Santa Lucia Bastion

In 1568, the semicircular bastion of Santa Lucia was also built, a part of which is preserved on Minoos Street. The bastion of Santa Lucia is located in the southeast corner of the Venetian fortifications. The section of Cortina east of Piatta Forma ends in this heart-shaped rampart, which took its name from the Orthodox church of Agia Fotini (Lucia), which was located on today’s Minoos Street.

This part of the fortifications was buried in the 1930s under Nikiforo Fokas Street, or on the large plot of land between Eleftheriou Venizelos, Cyprus and Nikiforo Fokas Streets. The bastion covered the eastern part of the southern side and the southern part of the eastern side of the fortifications, corresponding to the Piatta Forma and Sabbionara bastions respectively.

A section of the eastern side of the rampart remained visible until recently. After the intervention of the Archaeological Service, the unveiling of the bastion began, in order to proceed with its identification.

Piatta Forma Bastion

The Piatta Forma Bastion was built in the middle of the south side of the Venetian fortifications. It was in front of the Bastion of Santa Lucia to the east and of the bastion of St. Dimitrios to the west, while it was protecting the main city gate, the Porta Retimiotta (the gate of Rethymno). It had a rectangular shape and a salient into the trench.

On both sides there were two high rampart built with strong walls. The eastern rampart was called Santa Maria, from the monastery of Santa Maria della Missericordia on Hatzi Michalis Ntaliani Street, and the western one was called San Giovanni, from the name of the other church.

During the Cretan State the need of integration of the old and new city led to the demolition of this bastion. The demolition was decided in 1903 and began in 1908 for the construction of the Municipal Market. The trench was covered and the stones, with which the bastion was manufactured, were used for the construction of the building. Finally, the construction of the Market began in 1911 and it was inaugurated by the Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos on December 4, 1913.

Gate and Bastion Sabbionara

“… From the rampart Santa Lucia the wall turns on the north towards the sea where the visitor can see the only gate saved of the Venetian Walls, Porta Sabbionara = the Gate of Sand. The Turkish name of Kum Kapisi gave the name of Koum Kapi to the eastern part of the city, outside of the wall. The Venetian Gate is preserved in a good condition, it should be mentioned though that it has been modified significantly during the Turkish period.

After a contemporary restoration nowadays it is used as an exhibition space. On the top of the south part of the Gate it is preserved, in a good condition, a part of the homonym rampart Sabbionara.
On the other side of the “Gate of Sand” there is the rampart Mocenigo. Rampart Mocenigo is built inside the sea. In its “orecione” there are built in, the winged lion of Sant Marc in a medal and four crests, with the indication of the date 1591. During the period of the Cretan State in the rampart Mocenigo there was the building of the Cretan Constabulary which has been demolished. …”

Rampart of Lando or Schiavo or Saint Dimitrios

This rampart covers the southwest corner of the Venetian fortifications and took its name from the homonymous Orthodox church of Saint Dimitrios that existed in the “Kryo Vrysali” area. The circular rampart of the same name has been completely preserved with many reconstructions, at the top of which the parapet and the cannon ports were revealed after excavation. The competent Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities carried out the restoration of the bastion.

San Salvatore Bastion

Bastion San Salvatore is located in the northwest corner of the Venetian fortifications. In contact with Firka, about half of a circular tower survives from the original port fortification, built by the Genoese at the beginning of the 13^th century.

The tower was incorporated into the later fortifications. Next to the tower there is the church and the Monastery of San Salvatore which gave the name to this part of the fortifications. Above the bastion there is the homonymous four-sided bastion which together with Firka Fortress covered the area of the sea and a part of the western side of the fortifications.

The Bastion of St. Nicholas of Molos

The jetty is founded on a series of reefs that made the harbor inaccessible to ships. Approximately in the center of the jetty, a corner is formed, modeled on the bastion of Agios Nikolaos of Molos.

The bastion covered the long distance to the entrance of the port, which it protected in conjunction with the Firka Fortress. It took its name from the single-aisled church of Agios Nikolaos of Molos, which exists there under the embankments. A large part of the bastion was demolished a few decades ago.

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW