The metamorphosis of an old Catholic place of worship
Originally a Catholic cathedral, the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul (Agios Petros and Agios Pavlos) in Heraklion was built in the early years of Venetian rule and served as the main temple of the Dominican Order. In Venetian times, it housed the tombs of the rulers of the city of Candia (now Heraklion). In the early years of Ottoman rule, it was transformed into a mosque in memory of Sultan Ibrahim.
From an architectural point of view, due to its age and French and Italian elements of inspiration from the 13th century, this monumental building is valuable not only locally, but also in Europe. To be protected and preserved, it was taken over by the Greek Ministry of Culture, being today used only as a venue for festive gatherings and international cultural and religious congresses.
We had the chance to visit the monument-church on a special day of June 29, the feast day of patron saints Peter and Paul, on which occasion we participated in the Liturgy and watched a beautiful exhibition of icons painted and built of mosaic. You can admire them in the following images.
We also invite you to watch the video, accompanied by more information, in the article "Monastery of Saints Peter and Paul / Video"
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