Four Martyrs church at Rethymnon
The Great Temple of the Four Martyrs is located south of the walls of the old town of Rethymnon and close to the Venetian gate Guora Porta. It is dedicated to the neo-martyrs Angelis, Manuel, Georgios and Nikolaos Retzepis from Melambes, who were killed near the spot in 1824. They had fought against the Ottomans in 1821 and they were led to the Pasha Mehmet of Rethymnon in 1824, who asked them to become Muslims. They refused and were brutally tortured before being beheaded on October 28, 1824 at the Guora Porta.
In place of the present church there were two more churches dedicated to the Four Martyrs. The first was founded in 1905 but was left unfinished and was demolished in 1947. The second was inaugurated in 1955, but it was also demolished due to small size in 1972. The third, current church, was inaugurated in 1975 and belongs to the cross type with pillars dividing it into three aisles.
Inside the temple there are the sacred relics of the neo-martyrs, and there are interesting icons such as the Four Martyrs of John Fragopoulos (1836). The iconostasis hosts icons painted by Fotis Kontoglou (1955). In the basement there is a chapel dedicated to Saint Savvas (December 5th) and a lecture hall.
