In a central point of Heraklion, in the Analipsi district, hidden between buildings, and in a small square, is the Sacred Church of the Ascension of the Savior.
The effort to obtain this particular district of the city its own church lasted for many decades and its consecration reportedly took place in 1946, a date that is recorded on an artifact found in the Holy Altar.
According to the information cited by the Protopresbyter Georgios Somarakis in his book about the Analipsi district, this area was inhabited around 1900 mainly by Ottomans and even had its own mosque, which had resulted from the conversion of the Christian Church of Saint Demetrios into a place of worship for Muslims.
The few Christians who lived in Analipsi went to church at Panagia Chrysopigi. At some point they decided that they had to build their own church and with difficulty, in difficult times, they began fundraising.
They bought the land from the Bank of Exchange, while for the construction they took, in exchange for money, the stones from the mosque that was demolished in 1924 or 1925. Inside the property they built a first rough construction made of wood with the foundation stone laid by the then Metropolitan of Crete, Timotheos Zografidis.
They continued fundraising so that they could complete a solid building. The first rector in Analipsi was appointed in 1932 and was Father Miltiades Maris. Around 1935 the devout Christians had managed to build the building, without its roof. In fact, when the Germans conquered Heraklion, they used the nearby Kapetanakio as a camp site and went to the still vacant church for their religious needs.
After their departure, specifically in 1946, although the building was not yet complete, its consecration took place, while the church acquired a dome and plaster in 1951.
When the church was completed, everyone realized that its space was too small, based on the population that the area had nevertheless acquired, and they had to expand it to the north, where there was enough land space.
In the summer of 1969, the construction of an underground hall and a side narthex began, while it was then decided to construct two niches (conches) that would host two Holy Altars, in honor of Saint Nektarios and Saint Haralambos.
Today the church is entirely decorated with icons and has a beautiful and detailed wooden iconostasis. Its location in a central part of the city helps to attract a large number of believers, especially on the day it is celebrated, forty days after Easter.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
The effort to obtain this particular district of the city its own church lasted for many decades and its consecration reportedly took place in 1946, a date that is recorded on an artifact found in the Holy Altar.
According to the information cited by the Protopresbyter Georgios Somarakis in his book about the Analipsi district, this area was inhabited around 1900 mainly by Ottomans and even had its own mosque, which had resulted from the conversion of the Christian Church of Saint Demetrios into a place of worship for Muslims.
The few Christians who lived in Analipsi went to church at Panagia Chrysopigi. At some point they decided that they had to build their own church and with difficulty, in difficult times, they began fundraising.
They bought the land from the Bank of Exchange, while for the construction they took, in exchange for money, the stones from the mosque that was demolished in 1924 or 1925. Inside the property they built a first rough construction made of wood with the foundation stone laid by the then Metropolitan of Crete, Timotheos Zografidis.
They continued fundraising so that they could complete a solid building. The first rector in Analipsi was appointed in 1932 and was Father Miltiades Maris. Around 1935 the devout Christians had managed to build the building, without its roof. In fact, when the Germans conquered Heraklion, they used the nearby Kapetanakio as a camp site and went to the still vacant church for their religious needs.
After their departure, specifically in 1946, although the building was not yet complete, its consecration took place, while the church acquired a dome and plaster in 1951.
When the church was completed, everyone realized that its space was too small, based on the population that the area had nevertheless acquired, and they had to expand it to the north, where there was enough land space.
In the summer of 1969, the construction of an underground hall and a side narthex began, while it was then decided to construct two niches (conches) that would host two Holy Altars, in honor of Saint Nektarios and Saint Haralambos.
Today the church is entirely decorated with icons and has a beautiful and detailed wooden iconostasis. Its location in a central part of the city helps to attract a large number of believers, especially on the day it is celebrated, forty days after Easter.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
According to the testimony of Mrs. Photini Alexakis, her mother Evangelia, wife of Markos Pediaditakis, wrote a history of the Church of the Ascension, which reads as follows:
Around 1900 to 1910, the region here was a Turkish settlement with the mosque in the middle. There were very few Christians and they went to church at Panagia Chrysopigi, because a very deep ditch separated them from Heraklion. At the request of the few residents, the Epitaphion came there for a procession every Great Friday.
"So that the place may be blessed," the Christians said.
But finally the people of Chrysopigi refused and stopped. The Christians returned home in sorrow. That night Chryso Katselakis saw in her dream that the Epitaphion had come, circled the square and stopped exactly where the sanctuary of our church is now. When they were later laying the foundation stone of our church, Mrs. Chryso, now old, came and told us her dream.
"Our region is deprived of a church," said the protaitios Markos Pediaditakis to the surrounding residents, "and it is our shame not to have a church here."
They all agreed and began their action. One of the old people, Georgios Mavrakis, a resident of the region, said to them:
"Are you going to build a church here? You? We had already dug the foundations, but they stopped us."
And yet he was honored to see the children of the collaborators of the project. And his son-in-law Ritsopoulos also became a major donor. They went to the Kastrinakis flour mill. He also agreed. He gave the first donation: the flour to make the pastries for the first fundraiser. They also made a large loaf of bread, they took it to His Eminence, to inform him of their decision. The answer, however, was negative.
"I congratulate you, my children, but formalities are needed. Make an application, I will approve it for you and then you will begin your work."
Then they gave him the bread and told him:
"We are ready in every way and it will be done without a permit and we may even go to prison."
They set up an iconostasis. A request to the then engineer, Mr. Kyriakos, orders:
"The mosque of Nak Tambia to be demolished within 24 hours, because it is ready to collapse." Indeed, the next day they were destroying the mosque.
The Bank of Exchange takes out the stones at a discount and the then resident of the area, Mr. Varouchas, a conscript, gave 1000 drachmas. The Bank asked for a large sum for the plot. However, they did not use it and took half of it. The other half remained as a square. Finally, a temporary hut was erected in the middle of the building. They called His Eminence to perform the Consecration and, very moved, he said to them with tears:
"I congratulate you, my children, and I hope that God will give you the strength to finish it. And even if I cannot, I will make like a small cat to consecrate it for you."
The Commissioners continued the fundraising: 1) D. Vardas, 2) M. Tzouanakis, 3) I. Fountoulakis, 4) M. Maravelakis, 5) the Protaitios and many other parishioners and outside (the parish), such as Mr. Petras, Commissioner of ‘Agios Konstantinos’.
According to testimonies from local residents, the mosque was demolished in 1924 or 1925. Of course, no one knew that this mosque was once the Church of Saint Demetrios, which the Turks had turned into a mosque.
Immediately after the demolition of the mosque, a wooden shack/church was erected with timber provided by the Greek Army, and the foundation of the new Church of the Ascension was consecrated by the then Metropolitan of Crete, Titus II Zografidis, who became Metropolitan of Crete from the Bishop of Petra, who laid the foundation stone. Titus Zografidis was Metropolitan of Crete from 1922-1933.
The construction of the Church of the Ascension proceeded quickly thanks to the enthusiasm and efforts of the residents of the area. However, the Priest-Rector was missing. He was also appointed in 1932. The Rector of Veneratou, Father Miltiades Maris, who had been rector in Veneratou since 1919, was transferred to the Sacred Church of the Ascension of the Savior under construction.
The unforgettable Father Miltiades Maris has written in the book of the Triodion of the Church an act of appearance and assumption of service, in which he writes verbatim and in his own spelling:
“Year 1932”
“On the 21st of April, Palm Sunday, no Commissioners are appointed that evening. The initiators of the construction of the church had not even submitted an application for the construction of the church. That is why they were not even members of the Fundraising Committee. They were self-appointed and leaders in the work of building the Church. Moreover, it is known that along with those he mentions there were other willing and active collaborators, such as Haralambos Tachatakis - Teacher, Demetrios Handanos - Baker, Photis Ritsopoulos - construction worker, Demetrios Farsaris - cooper and many women, who held fundraisers in the city and villages of Heraklion and collected money for the reconstruction of the Sacred Church of the Ascension of the Savior. The church began to function for the Bridegroom Services. The most devoted priest Miltiades Maris was appointed as the first rector of the parish of Analipsi, and the first parish committee of the upper parish was 1st Ioannis Fountoulakis, 2nd Michael Maravelakis, 3rd Georgios Mavrakis, 4th Haralambos Tachatakis.
The church was not finished, of course. The walls had been built, but not the roof. But inside the building, a shanty church functioned. In a 1935 photograph, it appears that the walls had been built and the arches of the roof were being built, but not the Dome.
During World War II, the Germans, who had camped in Kapetanakio, used the Sacred Church of the Ascension for their worship services. Since the Church had no plaster, they wanted to demolish it and sprinkled the walls of the church with lime. This whitewashing of the stone structure made it very difficult to apply the plaster, because the plaster did not stick to the whitewashed surfaces.
No writing by Father Miltiades was found in the church books regarding the consecration of the sacred church, despite a thorough and months-long investigation. The information from the residents of the area did not agree as to the date of the consecration of the church. In the end, we decided to investigate the Holy Altar. And indeed: On the Holy Altar there is an icon of the four Evangelists and behind the icon there are names of believers for their memorial service. Under a group of names there is the date 5-6-1946. This chronology is also consistent with the testimony of the then Deacon of the Metropolitan of Crete, Vasilios V Markakis (1941-1950), Eutychios Mavrantonakis, who had served the late Metropolitan Vasilios at the consecration of the sacred church and gave us the information that the consecration took place one or two years after the Germans left Crete.
When the Church of the Ascension was consecrated, it had not been completed. By August 1950, the Dome of the Church and the plastering had not been done. The project had been put up for auction many times, but no contractor or engineer appeared to undertake the execution of the work.
For this reason, the Ecclesiastical Council decided to assign the construction of the Dome to the contractor Andreas Mavrakis, who built the Dome and made the plasters of the church. However, the money that was in the church treasury was not enough to pay for the construction work. The Ecclesiastical Council was therefore forced to request the establishment of a Fundraising Committee and the holding of a fundraiser to collect the required money. The following year, 1951, the plasters were also made, after the construction of the Dome and the electrical installation in the church was also carried out.
During the decade of the 1950s, in the parish books, the area of Analipsi is called "Acropolis". Postal files and documents from the Municipality of Heraklion to the parish rector of Analipsi “at Acropolis” were also found. And in the marriage and baptism books, “Acropolis” is mentioned as the place of residence of the parishioners. However, it seems that this name was quickly forgotten and the name “Analipsi” prevailed, because the existence of the Sacred Church of the Ascension imposed this [Analipsi in Greek is translated as Ascension].
The Sacred Church of the Ascension of the Savior is cruciform with a dome. It is a beautiful building, but small. Very early on, it was discovered that this small Church did not have enough space to accommodate the growing number of believers over the years. Therefore, there was a need to expand the church to create a larger space. The only option was to expand it to the north, where there was land.
The Expansion of the Church
The Ecclesiastical Council assigned specialists to prepare a relevant study and plan for the expansion of the church to the north. Subsequently, the Regional Administration of Crete granted the land “free of charge” for the expansion of the church. The Ecclesiastical Council submitted the studies and plans to the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs. The Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs responded with the no. 13938-50-726 and dated 2/10/1967 that it approves the plans for the extension of the Sacred Church of the Ascension to the north with the creation of a side narthex (Pronaos). In June 1969, the construction of an underground hall and the side Narthex of the sacred church was assigned to the contractors Georgios and Zacharias Noikokirakis, who undertook the execution of the work. After the columns of the side Narthex were made, it was found that this extension resembled a side aisle, which, however, did not have a Holy Bema. So at the last moment it was decided to make two niches in the eastern wall and to place two Holy Tables, one of which was established in honor of Saint Nektarios and the other in honor of Saint Haralambos. And now no one knew that here there had once been a church in honor of Saint Demetrios of Myrrhgusher who had given his name to this hill long ago. Almost a thousand years ago. If they had known, they would have established a nave in honor of the Great Martyr Saint Demetrios.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
Around 1900 to 1910, the region here was a Turkish settlement with the mosque in the middle. There were very few Christians and they went to church at Panagia Chrysopigi, because a very deep ditch separated them from Heraklion. At the request of the few residents, the Epitaphion came there for a procession every Great Friday.
"So that the place may be blessed," the Christians said.
But finally the people of Chrysopigi refused and stopped. The Christians returned home in sorrow. That night Chryso Katselakis saw in her dream that the Epitaphion had come, circled the square and stopped exactly where the sanctuary of our church is now. When they were later laying the foundation stone of our church, Mrs. Chryso, now old, came and told us her dream.
"Our region is deprived of a church," said the protaitios Markos Pediaditakis to the surrounding residents, "and it is our shame not to have a church here."
They all agreed and began their action. One of the old people, Georgios Mavrakis, a resident of the region, said to them:
"Are you going to build a church here? You? We had already dug the foundations, but they stopped us."
And yet he was honored to see the children of the collaborators of the project. And his son-in-law Ritsopoulos also became a major donor. They went to the Kastrinakis flour mill. He also agreed. He gave the first donation: the flour to make the pastries for the first fundraiser. They also made a large loaf of bread, they took it to His Eminence, to inform him of their decision. The answer, however, was negative.
"I congratulate you, my children, but formalities are needed. Make an application, I will approve it for you and then you will begin your work."
Then they gave him the bread and told him:
"We are ready in every way and it will be done without a permit and we may even go to prison."
They set up an iconostasis. A request to the then engineer, Mr. Kyriakos, orders:
"The mosque of Nak Tambia to be demolished within 24 hours, because it is ready to collapse." Indeed, the next day they were destroying the mosque.
The Bank of Exchange takes out the stones at a discount and the then resident of the area, Mr. Varouchas, a conscript, gave 1000 drachmas. The Bank asked for a large sum for the plot. However, they did not use it and took half of it. The other half remained as a square. Finally, a temporary hut was erected in the middle of the building. They called His Eminence to perform the Consecration and, very moved, he said to them with tears:
"I congratulate you, my children, and I hope that God will give you the strength to finish it. And even if I cannot, I will make like a small cat to consecrate it for you."
The Commissioners continued the fundraising: 1) D. Vardas, 2) M. Tzouanakis, 3) I. Fountoulakis, 4) M. Maravelakis, 5) the Protaitios and many other parishioners and outside (the parish), such as Mr. Petras, Commissioner of ‘Agios Konstantinos’.
According to testimonies from local residents, the mosque was demolished in 1924 or 1925. Of course, no one knew that this mosque was once the Church of Saint Demetrios, which the Turks had turned into a mosque.
Immediately after the demolition of the mosque, a wooden shack/church was erected with timber provided by the Greek Army, and the foundation of the new Church of the Ascension was consecrated by the then Metropolitan of Crete, Titus II Zografidis, who became Metropolitan of Crete from the Bishop of Petra, who laid the foundation stone. Titus Zografidis was Metropolitan of Crete from 1922-1933.
The construction of the Church of the Ascension proceeded quickly thanks to the enthusiasm and efforts of the residents of the area. However, the Priest-Rector was missing. He was also appointed in 1932. The Rector of Veneratou, Father Miltiades Maris, who had been rector in Veneratou since 1919, was transferred to the Sacred Church of the Ascension of the Savior under construction.
The unforgettable Father Miltiades Maris has written in the book of the Triodion of the Church an act of appearance and assumption of service, in which he writes verbatim and in his own spelling:
“Year 1932”
“On the 21st of April, Palm Sunday, no Commissioners are appointed that evening. The initiators of the construction of the church had not even submitted an application for the construction of the church. That is why they were not even members of the Fundraising Committee. They were self-appointed and leaders in the work of building the Church. Moreover, it is known that along with those he mentions there were other willing and active collaborators, such as Haralambos Tachatakis - Teacher, Demetrios Handanos - Baker, Photis Ritsopoulos - construction worker, Demetrios Farsaris - cooper and many women, who held fundraisers in the city and villages of Heraklion and collected money for the reconstruction of the Sacred Church of the Ascension of the Savior. The church began to function for the Bridegroom Services. The most devoted priest Miltiades Maris was appointed as the first rector of the parish of Analipsi, and the first parish committee of the upper parish was 1st Ioannis Fountoulakis, 2nd Michael Maravelakis, 3rd Georgios Mavrakis, 4th Haralambos Tachatakis.
The church was not finished, of course. The walls had been built, but not the roof. But inside the building, a shanty church functioned. In a 1935 photograph, it appears that the walls had been built and the arches of the roof were being built, but not the Dome.
During World War II, the Germans, who had camped in Kapetanakio, used the Sacred Church of the Ascension for their worship services. Since the Church had no plaster, they wanted to demolish it and sprinkled the walls of the church with lime. This whitewashing of the stone structure made it very difficult to apply the plaster, because the plaster did not stick to the whitewashed surfaces.
No writing by Father Miltiades was found in the church books regarding the consecration of the sacred church, despite a thorough and months-long investigation. The information from the residents of the area did not agree as to the date of the consecration of the church. In the end, we decided to investigate the Holy Altar. And indeed: On the Holy Altar there is an icon of the four Evangelists and behind the icon there are names of believers for their memorial service. Under a group of names there is the date 5-6-1946. This chronology is also consistent with the testimony of the then Deacon of the Metropolitan of Crete, Vasilios V Markakis (1941-1950), Eutychios Mavrantonakis, who had served the late Metropolitan Vasilios at the consecration of the sacred church and gave us the information that the consecration took place one or two years after the Germans left Crete.
When the Church of the Ascension was consecrated, it had not been completed. By August 1950, the Dome of the Church and the plastering had not been done. The project had been put up for auction many times, but no contractor or engineer appeared to undertake the execution of the work.
For this reason, the Ecclesiastical Council decided to assign the construction of the Dome to the contractor Andreas Mavrakis, who built the Dome and made the plasters of the church. However, the money that was in the church treasury was not enough to pay for the construction work. The Ecclesiastical Council was therefore forced to request the establishment of a Fundraising Committee and the holding of a fundraiser to collect the required money. The following year, 1951, the plasters were also made, after the construction of the Dome and the electrical installation in the church was also carried out.
During the decade of the 1950s, in the parish books, the area of Analipsi is called "Acropolis". Postal files and documents from the Municipality of Heraklion to the parish rector of Analipsi “at Acropolis” were also found. And in the marriage and baptism books, “Acropolis” is mentioned as the place of residence of the parishioners. However, it seems that this name was quickly forgotten and the name “Analipsi” prevailed, because the existence of the Sacred Church of the Ascension imposed this [Analipsi in Greek is translated as Ascension].
The Sacred Church of the Ascension of the Savior is cruciform with a dome. It is a beautiful building, but small. Very early on, it was discovered that this small Church did not have enough space to accommodate the growing number of believers over the years. Therefore, there was a need to expand the church to create a larger space. The only option was to expand it to the north, where there was land.
The Expansion of the Church
The Ecclesiastical Council assigned specialists to prepare a relevant study and plan for the expansion of the church to the north. Subsequently, the Regional Administration of Crete granted the land “free of charge” for the expansion of the church. The Ecclesiastical Council submitted the studies and plans to the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs. The Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs responded with the no. 13938-50-726 and dated 2/10/1967 that it approves the plans for the extension of the Sacred Church of the Ascension to the north with the creation of a side narthex (Pronaos). In June 1969, the construction of an underground hall and the side Narthex of the sacred church was assigned to the contractors Georgios and Zacharias Noikokirakis, who undertook the execution of the work. After the columns of the side Narthex were made, it was found that this extension resembled a side aisle, which, however, did not have a Holy Bema. So at the last moment it was decided to make two niches in the eastern wall and to place two Holy Tables, one of which was established in honor of Saint Nektarios and the other in honor of Saint Haralambos. And now no one knew that here there had once been a church in honor of Saint Demetrios of Myrrhgusher who had given his name to this hill long ago. Almost a thousand years ago. If they had known, they would have established a nave in honor of the Great Martyr Saint Demetrios.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
