The Agios Minas Cathedral ( el, ῾Ιερός Μητροπολιτικός Ναός ῾Αγίου Μηνᾶ) is a

Greek Orthodox The term Greek Orthodox Church ( Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also cal ...

Cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations ...

Heraklion Heraklion or Iraklion ( ; el, Ηράκλειο, , ) is the largest city and the administrative capital city, capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion (regional unit), Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in Gree ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...

, serving as the seat of the Archbishop of Crete. Ιt is dedicated to Saint Menas the martyr and wonderworker (285-309 A.D.), who is the patron saint of

History

It was built from 1862 to 1895. The construction was interrupted during the

Cretan Revolution of 1866–1869 Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterr ...

. The church has a cruciform architecture with a central dome. The floor plan of the church has external maximum dimensions of 43,20 m length and 29.50 m width and a surface area of 1,350 m². It is the largest cathedral in

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...

and one of the largest in Greece. A small and old church of Agios Minas is located in the proximity of the cathedral.Costas Alefantis, chapter 12 - Description of the architecture of Agios Minas church, Bachelor Thesis with title "Electro-acoustic study of Saint Minas church in Heraklion", Technical Educational Institute of Crete, 2005 (pdf file in Greek)
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Gallery

File:Agios Minas Cathedral 01.jpg, Front view of the cathedral of St. Minas Heraklion File:30. Agios Minas Cathedral Heraklion, South- West-facade with tower and dome.jpg, St. Minas Cathedral Heraklion, South-West facade with tower and dome File:15. Agios Minas Cathedral Heraklion floor plan.JPG, Agios Minas Cathedral Heraklion floor plan File:Stminasinterior.jpg, Interior view of the church File:10. Agios Minas Cathedral Heraklion Ikonostase.JPG, Agios Minas Cathedral Heraklion, view of the

Templon A templon (from Greek τέμπλον meaning "temple", plural ''templa'') is a feature of Byzantine churches consisting of a barrier separating the nave from the sanctuary near the altar. The solid templon first appeared in Christian churches ...

File:09. Agios Minas Cathedral Heraklion Interior.JPG, Agios Minas Cathedral Heraklion Interior File:17.Agios Minas Cathedral Heraklion, Interior dome fresco Christ Pantocrator.JPG, Agios Minas Cathedral Heraklion, Interior dome fresco Christ Pantocrator File:16. Agios Minas Cathedral Heraklion, Icon St. Minas.JPG, Agios Minas Cathedral Heraklion, Icon of St. Minas

References

External links

* {{coord, 35, 20, 15, N, 25, 07, 51, E, region:GR_source:kolossus-ptwiki, display=title Minas Eastern Orthodoxy in Crete Buildings and structures in Heraklion Tourist attractions in Crete Church buildings with domes Churches in Crete Churches completed in 1895 19th-century churches in Greece

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links