HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

OF THE CITY OF CHANIA

Tour of the Monuments

Monastery of St. Francis of Franciscans

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The complex is located on today’s Halidon Street and houses the city’s Archaeological Museum. It is preserved for the most part altered by modern interventions.

On the south side was the double portico (chiostro) with the monks’ cells and the other buildings. Today the portico is for the most part integrated into the houses and shops that exist up to the entrance of the newest Catholic church.

On the north side of the church of Saint Francis, the existence of a beautiful garden, similar to the one that exists today from the time of its function as a mosque, is noted on the maps of the time. The recent restoration work on the interior of the temple revealed the various building phases, some of which are also connected with the urban development of the city.

The original part of the temple is clearly visible in the middle of the present one and was originally covered with a kind of vaulted roof, which was reinforced by odd ribs (vergia). In the next phase, the roof was reconstructed into a pointed arch and its interior was divided into naves. The sides were roofed with a half pointed arch. The sides were roofed with a half pointed arch.

In 1605, according to the date on the key of the lateral arch, the eastern extension of the church should be placed, which is certainly connected with the creation of Ruga Magistra (Halidon Street) during the urban reconstruction works of the city, after construction of the new fortifications. Another extension should have been carried out, probably during the years of the Turkish occupation, with a single-room construction to the west.

The tower base of the high bell tower is preserved on the east side of the monument. During the years of the Turkish occupation, the church of Saint Francis was converted into Yusuf Pasha Jamisi. Then they ruined minaret and the octagonal fountain in the courtyard were added to the northwest side. Στη συνέχεια μετατράπηκε σε κινηματογράφο και κέντρο διασκέδασης.

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The headquarters Venizelos / Therisos Movement Headquarters

So called the headquarters of the Revolutionary Assembly in 1905, in Therisos, which organized the homonymous revolution against the authoritarian rule of the High Commissioner George. Nowadays, the building has been converted into a museum for the exposition of weapons, objects from that period and evidence of the revolutionary action of Eleftherios Venizelos.

The Garden Clock

The Clock stands on the north-eastern side of the Garden and is one of the most characteristic recent monuments of the city. It was built in the period 1924-1927 to plans by D. Kollarou, has a tripartite structure and its roof is formed into a circular pavilion. Today it is inextricably linked to the historical route of the Garden and is a symbol and an integral part of it.

Venizelio Conservatory

The Venizelio Conservatory of Chania is located on Nikiforo Fokas Street and is housed in a privately owned neoclassical building founded in 1931 at the expense of Elena Venizelou. It has a theater hall, with a stage and a balcony, with a capacity of about 300 seats and belongs to the “Association for the dissemination of Fine Arts in Crete”. Today it hosts DI.PE.THE. of Crete and the mixed Choir of Chania.