Holy Cathedral of Saint Titus

The Church of Saint Titus is an Orthodox church in Heraklion, Crete, dedicated to Saint Titus. The current church was built in 1869 as the Yeni Mosque and was converted to Christian worship in 1925.

The church was declared the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Crete in 2013. The building is an eclectic style four-column church with a dome. The exterior of the church is dominated by vertical elements, while at its top there is a stone-carved crowning.

History

After the reconquest of Crete by the Byzantines in 961, the seat of the bishopric was transferred from Gortyna to Chandakes (present-day Heraklion), which became the capital of the island. At that time, a new metropolitan church was built in Chandakes, dedicated to the apostle Titus, the first bishop of Crete. The church was a single-nave, ramic church. Various relics were transferred to the church, including the Holy Cross of Titus and the icon of Panagia Mesopanditissa. In 1210, Crete came under Venetian rule and the Latin archbishop was installed in the church. The church underwent some modifications, such as the opening of a circular skylight and the construction of a bell tower. This first church was destroyed before the mid-15th century.

The church was rebuilt in the style of a three-aisled basilica and was inaugurated by the Archbishop of Crete, Fantino Dandolo, on 3 January 1446. Although it suffered minor damage in the 1508 earthquake, it was destroyed by fire on 3 April 1544, from which the relics and remains of the church were saved. The church was rebuilt in the same style in 1557. After the conquest of Candace by the Turks in 1669, its relics were taken to Venice and the church was converted into a Muslim mosque, dedicated to Zade Fazil Ahmet Kioproulis, the conqueror of Candace. The mosque was known as the Vizier Mosque. The building was destroyed in the 1856 earthquake.

The current building began construction in 1869 to a design by Athanasios Mousis, who had designed, among other things, the metropolitan church of Saint Minas. The new mosque became known as the Yeni Tzami, although it retained its old name. After the accession of Crete to Greece and the exchange of populations, the building was repaired by the Church of Crete and returned to Orthodox Christian worship on 3 May 1925. The minaret of the mosque was demolished. On 15 May 1966, the casket of Saint Titus was returned to the church from Venice. ^[1]

From 1974 to 1988, strengthening and restoration work was carried out on the temple.

In 2013, the church of Saint Titus was declared by the Archbishop of Crete Irenaeus the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Crete.