Church of Agios Antonios, Agia Varvara - 2007

Church of Agios Antonios, Agia Varvara, Heraklion. Liana Starida, Eleni Kanaki, Periandros Epitropakis, Z. Aletras, Ch. Mpilmezi and N. Marnellou (13η ΕΒΑ) report that SE and approximately 2 km away from the Agia Varvara settlement, the church of Agios Antonios is located on top of a small rocky hill.

It is a small rectangular building with one room and a built arch. Its E side results to a semi-circular arch with a window in the middle. The church has gone through a lot of weathering and damage due to humidity and the passage of time.

The 13η ΕΒΑ, in collaboration with the priest of the church and the Ecclesiastical council proceeded in the removal of the concrete from the ceiling, and walls as well as the removal of the internal and external slips. Moreover, excavation works were conducted inside the church, where two rectangular shaft graves were discovered under the floor. The walls were fixed and the internal and external joints were replaced. The ceiling was covered with hydraulic mortar, while slabs of limestone were placed on the floor. Wooden frames were constructed and a buttress was placed externally and on the SE corner of the church. The surrounding space was rearranged as well.

The church has no paintings on the walls, and it is dated probably around the end of the Venetian rule (end of 16^th – beginning of 17^th c.).

[Entry created by C. Koureta]