Saint George Kefaliotis church at Amariano
The church of Saint George (Agios Georgios) Kefaliotis is located at Kefali hill, within the boundaries of the villages Amariano and Kastamonitsa in the province of Pediada and belongs to the parish of Amariano. The small one-roomed and arched temple is the most important Byzantine monument in the area, as it carries great 14th-century frescoes.
Among the frescoes we can mention the Virgin Mary with the Infant and the hierarchs in the sanctuary, the Preparation of the Throne in the center of the arch, various evangelical scenes in the arch, scenes from the life of Saint George (such as the martyrdom of Saint George with the wheel on the north wall). Also on the side walls there are several Saints, the scene of Deesis and Saint George the Rider. To the south of the entrance there is the pair of the founders offering the temple, and to the north stands Michael Archangel guarding the entrance. There is also an inscription that mentions the death of the priest Georgios Sinadinos in 1568.
In Kefali there are tombs of the warriors during the Battle of 1363 between the Venetian army and the rebeling Venetians and locals, that took place here. The rebels were overthrown and fled to Lasithi Plateau.
