Górtis: St Titus' Basilica
St Titus' Basilica, thought to be from the 7C, was erected on the site of Titus' martyrdom. It combined the basilical plan of a nave and two aisles with a cruciform plan with a transept. The chevet formed by three parallel apses is still standing. A few fragments of the carved decoration are on display in the Historical Museum in Heraklion. On the north side of the basilica was an agora, one of two in the city.
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Old Port
At the far end of the Paleó Limáni, the old Venetian port, are parts of the Arsenal: stores, docks and hangars where galleys were brought out of the water for repairs. The entrance to the harbour is commanded by the Venetian fortress, or Koúles (16C), still bearing the lions of St Mark. It has massive walls with embrasures for cannons, a cistern, a powder magazine and casemates communicating with stores for cannon balls. Fine views of the port and town from the top.
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History Museum
The History Museum in Herakleion contains the only work by El Greco in Crete, View of Mount Sinai and from St Catherine's Monastery (c 1570); a reconstruction of a chapel incorporating murals and frescoes typical of Byzantine art from the mid-14C; sculptures from St Titus' Basilica at Agía Triáda; Venetian and Turkish tomb stones, and a variety of objects related to the history of Crete.
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St Catherine's Church
The interior of this church contains six remarkable icons by Mihális Damaskinos who worked in Venice and the Ionian Islands from 1574 to 1582 before returning to Crete. These works, which were formerly at the Vrondissí Monastery, combine the traditional Byzantine formality of composition and picturesque realism with the Italian feeling for form. Compare the unusual scene of the Council of Nicaea, in the Byzantine style, with the Last Supper and Adoration of the Magi, which owe much to Tintoretto.
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