EASTERN CRETE

C H A P T E R 4
The Venetian feudal
territories
As we wander among the roads that lead
from Sitia to the Libyan sea, history moves
forward in great bounds because in an area
of only a few kilometres we find ourselves
immersed in Minoan remains and then
immediately afterwards in the feudal
possessions of the Venetians.
Kato Episkopi is the village to which,
in the eleventh century, the bishopric of Sitia
was transferred to escape the devastations
wreaked by the Saracens. The three-naved
church of the Ayioi Apostoloi with its cupola
that recalls Islamic architecture, was noted
by Venetian sources for a peculiarity: it had
Under Venetian
rule Kato and
Epano Episkopi
were seats of
the Catholic
bishopric, but in
the churches
both Orthodox
and Catholic
rites were
celebrated
two altars, one dedicated to the Latin rite
and one to the Greek, and often the liturgies
of the respective priests were celebrated
simultaneously. Another beautiful old
church, Panayia, is to be found at Epano
Episkopi and is worth a visit.
A small sign indicates the road to Forte
castle, which is recognisable from far off
thanks to its stern outline above a rocky spur
rising up in front of the Orno mountain
range. The road winds through cultivated
fields and sweet-scented meadows with
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