⭐ Travel Guide for Island Crete ⛵, Greece❗ - Saint Paraskevi church at Heraklion

Saint Paraskevi church at Heraklion

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The present Church of Saint Paraskevi stands on Monis Kardiotissis Street, in the Kamaraki district of Heraklion. It was built in the early 20th century and consecrated on 13 June 1910, although the history of worship at this site extends much further into the past.

An inventory of the churches of Candia compiled in 1320 mentions a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary on the same site. It was known as Panagia Kera Manolitissa at Xoporto. Its name also appears in historical sources as Kyra Manolitissa, Chéra Manolitissa and Santa Maria Manoglitissa. Evidence indicates that the church probably existed before 1266.

The epithet Manolitissa has been associated with the name Emmanuel, one of the names used for Christ. The term Xoporto, meaning “outer gate”, probably referred to an earlier entrance or to an area close to the limits of the medieval city.

The earlier church consisted of two naves. They communicated through three arches supported by two marble columns. The northern nave appears to have been narrower and lower and was covered by a semi-vault.

When the modern Church of Saint Paraskevi was constructed, important sections of the earlier building were preserved and incorporated into it. These include the foundations of its northern and southern walls, measuring approximately 10.40 metres, part of the atrium and the three arches supported by the marble columns, which remain visible inside the present church.

Two adjacent doorways, each approximately 1.30 metres wide, also survive. One of them belonged to the earlier church. These architectural remains make Saint Paraskevi a particularly interesting monument in which the medieval history of Candia coexists with the ecclesiastical architecture of the early 20th century.

The church is dedicated to Saint Paraskevi, whose feast is celebrated on 26 July, and remains one of the most cherished places of worship in the historic centre of Heraklion.