CHANIA, CRETE

Departing from the harbour of Souda Bay we shall begin our short coach journey to the Agia Triada Monastery, perhaps the most impressive monastery in Crete.

Departing from the harbour of Souda Bay we shall begin our short coach journey to the Agia Triada Monastery, perhaps the most impressive monastery in Crete. Two brothers of the Venetian Zangaroli family built the monastery of Agia Triada (Holy Trinity) in the seventeenth century – they were monks who had converted to the Orthodox faith. The church is a good example of the decorative Western-style influence in the exterior decoration of Byzantine churches. The facade of the church has double columns of Ionic and Corinthian style and an inscription. A large bell tower was added later, in 1864. From the outside we can discover the two inscriptions at the entrance to the church: one in Latin and one in Greek representing the background of the founders. Inside the monastery we can admire the beautiful wall paintings in Byzantine style. Following our visit to the Monastery, we continue with a visit to the grave of Venizelos. Eleftherios Venizelos was a Cretan politician who fought for independence from the Turkish and later for union with Greece. He was Prime Minister of Greece several times, and one of the most important Greek statesmen. From this location, the view of Chania is quite outstanding, especially at sunset. The gardens around the graves and the small church of the Profitis Ilias are a popular site for baptisms and weddings. Nearby affords a pleasant viewpoint point from which to look over the city below. After a short drive from Venizelos graves, we arrive in Chania. The coach will stop at Firkas fort, built in 1629, that guards the entrance to the harbour. We shall walk along the Venetian harbour with many restaurants, tavernas and bars, to see the fortification walls and opposite the harbour, a magnificent 16th century Venetian lighthouse as well as the Great Arsenal. Back in Chania, we shall visit the Archaeological Museum. The museum is housed in the katholikon of the Venetian monastery of St. Francis. During the period of the Turkish occupation it was the Muslim mosque of Yussuf Pasha, while in recent times it has been used as a cinema and a storehouse for military equipment. Since 1963 it has been functioning as the Archaeological Museum of the city. Findings from different parts of Chania are exhibited in the museum rooms depicting the history of the area from Neolithic to Roman times. We can discover the display of the prehistoric collection that comprises items such as carved vessels, clay plates, a beautiful collection of gold necklaces, seal stones and stone beads. There is also the exhibition of the historic times, which comprises a rich collection of clay vases, sculptures and tube stone inscriptions from various parts of Crete. Following our visit to the Museum, we shall begin our guided walking tour of the Venetian harbour and the old town, where we will have some free time before we return to Souda Bay. We may like to explore further by ourselves or perhaps browse in the many traditional handicraft shops.

Please note that this tour includes approximately 2 hours of walking and standing as well as approximately 1 hour at your leisure in the old Town (walking is therefore optional). There are about 10 steps to negotiate at the monastery. Visitors to the church should be conservatively dressed. Ladies in shorts or with bare shoulders and low-cut blouses and men in shorts will not be allowed in the church. The use of cameras and video cameras are forbidden in the church and for some areas in the museum. The use of flash photography is forbidden.