Church of the Great Panagia in Rethymnon
The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Great Holy Virgin (Megali Panagia) in Rethymnon is dedicated to the Presentation of the Virgin Mary (feast 21st November), Three Hierarchs and the Holy Apostles.
Religious Monuments of Rethymno city
The Old Town of Rethymno preserves a particularly rich collection of Christian and Muslim monuments reflecting its Byzantine, Venetian and Ottoman history.
Historical sources record between 23 and 46 churches and monasteries in Rethymno during Venetian rule, belonging to both the Orthodox and Roman Catholic traditions. Very few survive today in their original form, as several were converted to other uses, destroyed or incorporated into later buildings. Following the Ottoman conquest, some Christian churches were converted into mosques, while new mosques were also established, shaping the city’s multicultural religious landscape.
Among the oldest surviving remains are those of the Church of Agia Paraskevi, which have been restored and incorporated into the premises of the Institute for Mediterranean Studies of the Foundation for Research and Technology–Hellas. Another important monument is Agia Sophia, known during the Ottoman period as the Ahmed Pasha Mosque and now used as a venue for cultural events.
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Church of Saint Catherine in Fortezza
The small church of Saint Catherine (Agia Ekaterini) is a modern church located in the fort of Fortezza in Rethymnon. It was built in the 19th century with materials from the fortress very close to the site of the Ibrahim Khan Mosque. The belfry was added in 1985.
Church of Saint George of Grotta in Rethymnon
The church of Saint George of Grotta is a small one-storey church that stands in a narrow street in the old town of Rethymnon and dates back to the 16th century. The identification of the present church with the homonymous temple of the Venetian archives is not certain, as there were three churches dedicated to Saint George in the city.
Church of Hagia Sophia in Rethymnon
At the corner of streets Koroneou and Smyrnis in Rethymnon was the church of Hagia Sophia, probably a 16th-century building. It was a two-storey church with a united interior space covered by two sturdy domes, used today by the Ministry of Culture.
Church of Saint Barbara in Rethymnon
The church of Saint Barbara is located near the tempe Megali Panagia in Rethymnon and celebrates on December 4th. The church was founded in 1885 on the site of an older temple, probably dedicated to the same saint, which appears on maps of 1613.
Church of Saint Spyridon in Rethymnon
On the west side of the imposing fort of Fortetsa in Rethymnon and above the sea we meet the cavernous church of Agios Spyridon (celebrates on 11 August and 12 December). The church dates back to the late 16th century and is one of the oldest surviving temples in the city of Rethymnon.
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