Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Morosini Fountain FOUNTAIN
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(Plateia Venizelou) Named for its architect but better known as 'Lion Fountain', this be-
loved Venetian vestige spurts water from four lions' jaws into curved marble troughs.
The centrepiece marble statue of Poseidon was destroyed during the Turkish occupation.
Municipal Art Gallery ART GALLERY
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( 2810 399228; 25 Avgoustou; 9am-1.30pm Mon-Fri) Originally built in 1239, the
Basilica of Agios Markos (St Mark's) served as an archbishop's seat under the Venetians
and was later turned into a mosque by the Turks. Today it houses changing art exhibits
that may feature works by such Cretan creatives as Maria Fiorakis, Lefteris Kanakakis
and Thomas Fanourakis.
Loggia HISTORIC BUILDING
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(25 Avgoustou) Built by Francesco Morosini, Iraklio's town hall is housed in this stately
17th-century palazzo, which was originally a Venetian version of a gentleman's club,
where the male aristocracy gathered for drinks and gossip.
Church of Agios Titos CHURCH
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(Plateia Agiou Titou; 7.30am-1pm & 4.30-7.30pm) This majestic church has Byzantine ori-
gins in AD 961, morphed into a Catholic church under the Venetians and a mosque by
the Ottomans before being consecrated as an Orthodox church in 1925. Paintings on the
side walls show scenes from the life of St Titus, a compatriot of St Peter who became
Crete's first bishop in AD 59. His much- revered skull is housed in a small room off to
the left of the entrance.
NIKOS KAZANTZAKIS - CRETE'S LITERARY LION
Crete's most famous modern writer, Nikos Kazantzakis was born in Turkish-domin-
ated Iraklio in 1883 in the ferment of revolution that finally broke out in 1897 and
forced him to leave for studies in Naxos, Athens and Paris. His self-professed
greatest work is theOdyssey, a modern-day epic loosely based on the trails and
travels of the ancient Ulys- ses. The work that brought him international renown,
though, was the 1946Life and Adventures of Alexis Zorbas(later renamedZorba
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