St. Mina's Cathedral ( Greek Άγιος Μηνάς ) is one of the main cathedrals of the city of Heraklion on the island of Crete in Greece . Located on Venizelou Square.
| Cathedral St. Mina | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A country | |
| Location | |
| Denomination | Orthodoxy |
| Patriarchy | Patriarchate of Constantinople |
| Diocese | Heraklion Archbishopric of Cretan Orthodox Church |
| Building | 1862 - 1895 years |
| Status | |
The cathedral is one of the largest in Greece (accommodates up to 8 thousand people). [one]
Patronal feast - November 11 (official holiday).
Content
History
The original small church of St. Mina was built in 1735 and was the cathedral of the metropolitans of Crete immediately during the Turkish occupation of the island (currently the church is located to the left of the main entrance to the large cathedral).
The story tells of an event that happened on Easter 1826, when a crowd of Muslim Turks went to the church to destroy the Christian church and crack down on believers. A horse officer appeared by the name of Ayan Agha dispersed the crowd of conspirators, but the Greek Christians took this as a wonderful intervention in what was happening to St. Mina, after which the saint was declared the patron saint of Heraklion. In his book Άγιος Μηνάς (1939), Georgios Sillamianakis claims that not only Christians, but also Muslims, revered Saint Mina in Heraklion.
The construction of the large three-nave cathedral began on March 25, 1862, under the supervision of architect Athanasius Mousis, and continued for 33 years (with a break of 1866–1883). At the beginning of construction, gold, bronze and silver coins of different nations were laid under the altar in the foundation of the temple. In 1895, the cathedral was consecrated by Metropolitan Timothy (Kastriyanoyannis) in honor of St. Mina . Despite the ongoing Turkish occupation, the celebration of the consecration of the cathedral continued for three days.
The cathedral was built with the layout in the form of an equilateral cross, with a magnificent dome and two tall belfries. Its walls and arches are built in the Greco-Byzantine style, and the powerful domes are painted with traditional Byzantine frescoes.
One of the modern miraculous patronage of St. Mina is considered the salvation of the cathedral from the heavy bombing that took place on May 23, 1941, when the bomb that fell on the roof of the cathedral did not explode. In honor of this event, a model of this bomb is located at the northern wall of the cathedral.
Interesting Facts
- Despite the fact that St. Mina is a highly respected patron of the city, there are practically no people with a similar name in Heraklion. This fact is explained by the fact that in the XIX century abandoned children were left on the doorstep of the temple, and in the church shelter at the cathedral the boys were called Minami, which became associated among the residents of Heraklion with poverty and homelessness. In this regard, Greek families avoid giving the boys the name Mina. [2]
Gallery
Notes
Links
- Saint Minas in Heraklion. (eng.)