A jewel set in a strange place. I found the city itself a strange place in general with pockets of beauty that were easily stumbled upon. This being one of them. The city itself is steeped in history, but is lost in piles of grafiti and often uneasy atmosphere. Bit be patient and stick to the main tourist areas. Parking is cheap by the port at 3 euros for the day. Definately worth a visit so not to miss these jewels.
Impressive and attractive architecture in a pretty, quiet square. Didn't go in as there was a service on.
The church of the "City Protector", St, Minas was protecting the christians from the Turks during the occupation of the island. The old, small church was the first one and is mentioned in Nikos Kazantzakis books, also with some of the legends of protector St.MInas. Next to the big church you can see a WWII bomb that was not explode and is considered as one of the protector's saint miracles.
Step inside this piece of religious history and take a look at this religious iconic church which is a unique sight that could easily missed if not found in busy Heraklion of people rushing everywhere and intense heat of the day
The painting on the ceilings etc., very beautiful. Also very typical of Greek churches. The square outside it has some nice cafés to wile away an hour.
the walls and ceiling are painted with beautiful scenes from the bible. Gold chandliers hung from the ceiling.IT is free to visit, and only a ten minute walk from the main square.
Herakleion is a small city, and this is one of the smallest cathedrals I have seen. It's not worth going out of your way to see.
The best part of this Cathderal are the wonderful paintings on the ceilings. I'm under the impression that this is not a particularly old church which may be why the frescoes are still so rich in colour and intensity.
While Agios Minas (Cathedral of St. Minas) is not a very old cathedral (built 1862-1895), it is a very fine example of the style in which churches and cathedrals are built and decorated in Greece.With a capacity of 8,000 people it is also one of the largest cathedrals in Greece.
A great landmark in Heraklion, St Minas is the protector of the town. Lots of stories about it, including the unexploded WWII bomb near the building - taken as an example of the effectiveness of the saint's protection! Definitely worth seeing if you are in town.