Saint George of the Armenians
Saint George was a relatively small three-nave church built in the second Byzantine period and ceded to the Armenians who had settled in Heraklion at that time, possibly on the orders of Nicephorus Phocas.
Heraklion is the largest city in Crete with a population of about 200.000. Heraklion houses the public services and the major scientific centers of Crete, being the commercial center of the island with the main port and airport.
From a scenic city with unique traditional Venetian and Ottoman monuments in the early 1900s, as one of the most historical cities in the Mediterranean, Heraklion, unfortunately, turned into a bustling cement-dominating city, losing almost all of its aristocratic splendor. This bad development was a result of the need for rapid expansion of the city for the settling of the refugees after the Asia Minor Catastrophe (1922), but also from the effort to "modernize" Heraklion by turning the beautiful old buildings into blocks of flats.
However, even today the visitor can get a good taste of the glorious image of the past, while the locals can be surprised by the unknown corners of Heraklion and the story hidden behind them.
The history of Heraklion starts in the Minoan era, as it was the port of the legendary city of Knossos. However, the city in its present location (the old center) was built in 824 by the Arabs and later expanded and fortified by the Venetians and the Turks, who named it as the Large Castle of Candia. The current name Heraklion was given after the liberation of Crete from the Turks in 1898.
The Venetian Loggia of Candia
The Venetians used to build a luxurious building in each of their cities, where the nobles could pleasantly spend their time and socialize. In Candia, they built the Loggia (meaning Noble Club) which is now met on the August 25 street.
Gate Bethlehem
Gate Bethlehem is located on the western side of the Venetian Walls of Heraklion and was a military gate. It lead to the north low square of Bethlehem Bastion, where there were the cannons that protected the bastion of Pantocrator.
Bembo Fountain
On the north side of the Kornarou square we meet the Venetian Bembo Fountain and the Turkish sebil (charity fountain) built later. The fountain was constructed between the years 1552-1554 during the rule of the captain Gian Matteo Bembo, who first watered Candia with spring water via aqueduct.
Gate Pantocrator (Chanioporta)
Gate Pantocrator, known more as Chanioporta, is one of the central points of Heraklion and used to be the main exit to the western Crete. From a single room inside the gate start two arched galleries with different entrances, one (the main) leading to the west and the other (military gallery) leading to the southern low square of bastion Pantocrator.
Priuli Fountain
Priuli Fountain or Fontana Nuova is located at Delimarkou Street, behind the Bodossakio School and opposite the Venetian gate of Dermatas. It was built near the end of the great siege of Candia (1648-1669), after the Ottoman besiegers interrupted the water supply from the aqueduct that carried water from Youchtas area.
Saint Minas and Pandanassa
Reference is made to the Chapel of St. Minas and the Virgin Mary Pandanassa in the inventories of Chandax churches in Venetian times. Having fallen into disuse for many years, in 1735 it was renovated to become the cathedral, thenceforth serving as the main centre for the Orthodox Christian faithful in Ottoman Chandax.
Saint Paraskevi church at Heraklion
The present-day Church of Saint Paraskevi in Monis Kardiotissis St. was built in the early 20th century and consecrated on 13th June 1910.
