Venizelos Graves - Prophitis Ilias

The grave of Eleftherios Venizelos

Little known by foreign tourists the graves of Venizelos, located in a small park on a hill overlooking Chania are very much worth a visit, if only for the superb view that you get.
The spot on the hill of Prophitis Ilias (after the name of the 15th century church located there) is the resting place of one of the most illustrious Greek (and Cretan!) stateman, Eleftherios Venizelos and of his son Sophoklis.

The statue of Spyros Kagiales in the same park refers to a legendary feat of bravery that occured in 1897. Venizelos and a group of rebels had raised a Greek flag at that spot. The Ottoman forces had requested help from the foreign admirals and attacked the rebels, with the ships of the Great Powers fleet bombarding the rebel positions. A shell broke the flagpole and threw down the flag, which was raised up again immediately by Kagiales.

Just below the small park there are two cafés (Nymphes and Koukouvaia) where you can enjoy the superb views of the bay of Chania and the White Mountains.

 

  • Grave of Eleftherios Venizelos
  • Grave of Eleftherios Venizelos
  • Statue of Spyros Kagiales
  • Statue of Spyros Kagiales
  • Chapel of Prophitis Ilias
  • Chapel of Prophitis Ilias
  • Interior of the chapel of Prophitis Ilias
  • View from Prophitis Ilias
  • View from Prophitis Ilias

 

Location map of Venizelos Graves

 

 

Back to Chania visitor's guide

 

Crete photo of the day
Crete Photo of the Day

 

© west-crete.com 1999 - 2024  | EMAIL