Holy Cross Chapel at Stroumboulas Plateau

The small church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is located at the top of the Stroumboulas plateau in Tylissos.

The history of the temple is lost in the depths of the centuries. It already existed from the period of the Venetian rule, and most likely, it was built on an ancient sanctuary due to the exceptional location of the area. Catholic monk Christopher Buondelmonti, who had visited Crete in the early 15th century, had written that a completely conical mountain rises beyond the city (Pantomatrion). At the top of it, the ancient people built the church of the Holy Cross, from where everything can be seen all around.

The church was also mentioned by Turkish traveller Evliya Tzelebi, who saw the siege of Chandakas from the top of Stroumboulas.

During the Occupation, the Germans built a machine gun next to the small temple, which controlled the entire bay of Heraklion. Losing the war, the Germans blew up all their military installations, including the ancient chapel. After the war, in 1945, the inhabitants of Tylissos carried materials to the top and rebuilt the church. Since then, the Church of the Holy Cross has been the most important pilgrimage for the whole region, celebrated twice a year. On the day of his celebration (September 14th) and the day of the Prophet Elijah's celebration (July 20th), a large crowd goes up to honour him. In fact, many are those who go up on the eve in the afternoon and spend the night at the top. Pasqualigo also mentions this custom of the faithful pilgrims in a report of 1594 to the Administration of Venice.