Cities

The derelict flour mill of Kastrinakis is located within the Municipal Parking of Heraklion and has been declared as a protected monument since 1997, awaiting patiently for its restoration. The land was purchased by Nikolaos Kastrinakis in 1896 and in 1904 he built the initial flour mill and the furnaces.

The Byzantine church of Saint John the Theologian in Archanes called Manganitis after the public stone press (magana) that existed here for wine production. The Venetians called it DE SAN ZUANNE THEOLOGO DETTO STO MANGALO.

The Kato (lower) St. George was founded in 13th century and is adjacent to another newer church of St. George. It is a small single-nave, barrel-vaulted church, with buttresses at the southern wall and its entrance on the west. The openings are adorned with stone reliefs of the time of the Venetian rule.

At the village Kastelli, province Pediada, we meet the very old church of Christ. The temple bears Venetian frescoes of great artistic value.

In a lush green ravine formed between Analipsis and Pefki we meet the former monastery of St. George of Samakidis. The church celebrates on November 3rd and is built in a cave. According to tradition, in 1471 Joseph Samakidis, who lived in the monastery of Panagia Kera by village Pilalimata left his monastery due to pirate raid.

The bay where today's Loutro settlement is built was the port of ancient towns Anopolis and Aradena. This port is mentioned in ancient texts as Phoenix or Katopolis. The gods Zeus and Apollo were worshiped in Phoenix.

In the middle of the settlement of Loutro we meet the beautiful and spacious temple of Panagia, dedicated to Zoodochos Pigi (Life Giving Spring) celebrating five days after Easter. The courtyard has a large Cretan date palm tree and a well with water.

Here we meet an important sample of later Neoclassicism in Heraklion built in 1907 belonging to Chatzidakis family. The building is known as French School because it housed the French Institute of Heraklion in the past. The floor plans are very similar to another well-known building of Crete, the villa of Koundouros at Chania.