Church of St. Titus

On the central square of Heraklion is a church named after the first bishop of Crete, St. Titus. He was a disciple of the Apostle Paul and became famous for founding the first Christian community on the island. The temple was built by the Byzantines and was badly damaged by a strong earthquake in 1856, but after 16 years it was restored. The architecture of the church harmoniously combines elements of Eastern and Western cultures.

The history of this Greek temple captures the history of the conquests of the island. Built in 961, the church was originally an Orthodox church, then, during the Venetian domination in the XVI century, the Church of St. Titus became the cathedral of the Catholic archbishop. And after the capture of the island by the Turks, it was converted into a mosque and called Vizier-Jami.

The main shrine of the church in Heraklion is the skull of St. Titus, returned from Venice to Crete in 1966 by General Morosini.