Candia (Crete)

CANDIA (CRETA). - Greek island which, despite its many ancient Hellenic memories, also preserves many Christian historical recollections dating back to the time of the Apostle St. Paul and his disciple St. Titus. Indeed, it had numerous bishoprics that were originally subject to the metropolis of Gortyn. After the Muslim Arab domination (824-916), with the return of Byzantine rule, Candia (Herakleion) became the capital city and ecclesiastical metropolis. The Greek bishoprics remained even under Venetian rule (c. 1210-1669), although their bishops had to reside outside the island; at the same time, the Latin hierarchy was established there with various bishoprics, which, however, did not acquire many followers among the natives. Even the Council of Florence was not successful in C. With the fall of Venetian rule in the year 1669, following the magnificent resistance of Francesco Morosini, the Catholics left the island, as indeed they had already begun to do earlier during the long war with the Turks. Only in 1874 was the episcopal see of C. re-established with residence in Chania, which today counts 3 parishes and 210 Catholics.