Western Crete - Day 3

Crete, Day 3

We are still looking for an open Byzantine Church, let's cross our fingers.

The church at Aradena was bigger than all the others, but it shared a commonality, it was closed. No amount of begging was going to get us the key. The place was peaceful, so we walked around for a while to enjoy the view and the shade. The building was in great shape and there were some frescoes visible from one window.

We now hoped that the Churches at Pavlos would be open. There are 2 churches on opposite hills. The first one was closed, although a new structure apparently used as a school was open. From there it was a short climb down a steep hill, a walk across a field, then a climb up to the church.

It was a very small church, even smaller inside, it could hold maybe 10 people more than that would a crowd. We were amazed at the beauty of the frescoes. Witnessing works from the 11th century was overwhelming. This chapel must have had a rich patron. The frescoes should be repaired to stop the decay.

We were not sorry about the arduous trip to get there, it was incredible.

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