Saint George church at Komitades
The church of Saint George (Agios Georgios) is located near the monastery Panagia Thymiani, in the periphery of Komitades village, province Sfakia. It consists of the original single-storey 14th-century arched-roofed temple, to which an extension was added, the roof of which has now collapsed.
According to tradition, the church was founded at the site where the residents of Komitades found shelter after the pirate raids at the nearby Plakakia beach in the 14th century. The locals prayed to Saint George and the pirates were repelled. Thus, they built a temple to honor the saint at the same site.
But what makes the church a truly great Byzantine monument are the high quality frescoes preserved inside. The paintings belong to the famous iconographer of Western Crete, Ioannis Pagomenos, as mentioned in the inscription of 1314. The frescoes, which have been worn over the years, include scenes with whole-body and horse riding saints in the low zones, the evangelical circle and the life of Saint George in the arch. Among the frescoes we can discern the founders Manuel Skordilis and Gerasimos Forogiorgis.
