Church of Agios Georgios
The Middle Byzantine church of Agios Georgios is located in the village of Kamariotis, which is 29 km from Heraklion.
The temple dominates the top of a rock which is approximately in the middle of the village. It is a three-aisled vaulted basilica built in the 16th century. The southern aisle is dedicated to Agios Georgios, the central aisle to Jesus Christ and the northern aisle to Agios Nikolaos.
The door of the temple is lovely with excellent decoration. On the lintel of the west gate, there is St. Mark’s lion, while on the arch of the central aisle, the visitor can see the double-headed eagle, the coat of arms of the Byzantine Kallergis family. Also, at the southern entrance of the church, the date 1629 (ΑΧΚΘ) is engraved.
Entering the temple, the first thing that catches the eye is the Venetian doorway of the entrance, from the narthex to the main temple. On the west wall of the narthex, two double-glazed windows are covered with mural decorations. Late Gothic capitals have also been incorporated in one column.
The frescoes, as a whole, are of high quality, and the many images of hierarchs indicate that the church operated as an episcopal church. It is estimated that the frescoes were painted in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. In 2004, restoration work on the temple revealed exquisite 14th-century frescoes, especially in the sanctuary.
Finally, there is a local legend about the bell of the church of Agios Georgios. According to tradition, the beacon had a golden bell that rang as far as Chania. When the Turks entered Crete, the inhabitants hid the bell, probably in a hollow of the rock, and since then, no one has seen it again.