Following Paul - 2016 Crete

2016

Crete

Further opportunities...

In 2016 I had the privilege of attending the Salvation Army's International College for Officers (ICO) in London, UK. When official travel takes you from New Zealand to Europe it just makes sense to make the most of it. This was an opportunity to see some more of the sites associated with St Paul. After ICO I had plans to meet up with Suzanne elsewhere but, before doing so, I was able to visit Crete as a general location associated with St Paul, but also the specific locations named in the New Testament.

After a day of flight connections I arrived in Heraklion late evening. My plan, hatched with the help of Google Maps, was to catch a local bus from the airport to the terminus in town and then take an eleven minute stroll to the accommodation I had booked. As it turned out, there was a bus stop on the way, just around the corner from my hotel, and I was saved a bit of a walk! After checking in there was time for a quick stroll and something to eat: the sightseeing would begin the next day.

Paul left Titus in Crete (Titus 1:5) and wrote to him with guidance for the maintenance and development of the early church there. Titus must have done a good job on the island because his memory seems to be honoured in monuments and churches, far more than Paul himself.

Heraklion

Heraklion itself is not mentioned in the Bible but, as the capital city of Crete, it provides an excellent base from which to see the sights.

Heraklion is a port city and its significance in the medieval period has left many marks on the city. The harbour setting for the Venetian fortress of Castello a Mare (1523–1540) is quite stunning, especially by night. There is little from the New Testament period to be seen.

Not far from Heraklion is the controversially restored Palace of Knossos associated with the Bronze Age Minoan culture, which predates the New Testament period by more than a thousand years. Although my interest is in following Paul, it was certainly worth a visit.

The archaeological museum houses an array of interesting artefacts, including the famous Phaestos Disc. The 15cm diameter, Minoan period, clay disc is stamped with a spiralling sequence of symbols which remain undeciphered to this day: it is one of the enduring mysteries of archaeology.

Above left: The Bembo Fountain from the Venetian period.

Above right: An exquisite rock crystal rhyton (1500-1450BC) in the Heraklion Archaeological museum. The ovoid body is made from a single core of the hard stone. The neck, produced from another core, is attached to the body by a ring of crystal beads and gilded ivory discs. The raised handle consists of spherical crystal beads threaded onto a bronze wire.

Below left: Intricately carved wooden chandelier in Naos Titus (Church of Titus), Heraklion. Note the icon of Paul to the lower left.

Below right: Castello a Mare, a Venetian fortress, at the port of Heraklion, by night

Photos: 23 Aug 2016

Fair Havens (Acts 27:8) / Gortyn

The following day I rented a scooter and rode south to Kaloi Limenes (Fair Havens). On the way I stopped at the archaeological site of Gortyn.

From the first century BC Gortyn was the Roman capital of the province of Creta et Cyrenaica (Crete and Cyrene). Cyrene was in North Africa, (a part of modern Libya), the home of Simon who was forced to carry Jesus' cross on the way to Golgotha (Mark 15:21).

1 Maccabees 15:23 notes that Gortyn was one of a number of cities which received a letter indicating the support of the Roman republic for Jewish leaders in their struggle for control over Palestine in the inter-testamental period.

The Praetorium, the governor's palace, occupies a significant portion of the site. Also significant at this site is an early (sixth-century) church dedicated to St Titus.

Above left: The Bouleuterion (civic building) of Gortyn, the Roman capital of Crete..

Above right: A very old olive root-stock with grafted branches. A magnificent illustration of Romans 11:11-24.

Left: Basilica of Titus at Gortyn.

Below left: Chapel dedicated to St Paul, on the ridge above Kaloi Limenes (Fair Havens).

Below right: Typical iconographic depiction of St Paul in the chapel at Fair Havens.

Photos: 24 Aug 2016

I took the road west, across the Messara plain to Mires and then south over the hill to the coast. Fair Havens (Kaloi Limenes) is a beautiful little bay but the seaward view is somewhat spoiled by the huge tanks on the St Paul's Islets: it is a significant bunkering site for shipping in the southern Mediterranean.

A delightful chapel, with multiple icons of St Paul, sits on the ridge overlooking the bay.

The following day I visited the Palace of Knossos and then wandered round Heraklion seeing as much of the city as I could. I did find a church dedicated to St Peter and St Paul, which was surrounded by what appeared to be active archaeological excavation, but the church itself was not open for viewing. There is always something that makes me wonder whether I will get a chance to visit again!!

The other location in Crete specifically mentioned in Scripture is Phoenix. To visit there required relocating to the south western coast. A day of travelling on local buses was the best option for getting there. You can only plan so much from afar and I was glad there were others on the bus who were heading in the same direction: what appeared, in Google Maps, to be a simple transfer to another bus would have been easily missed without some assistance!

Chora Sfakion

Following Paul takes you to some beautiful parts of the Mediterranean world: Chora Sfakion is a delightful seaside town hugging the coast below the rugged mountains of southern Crete. This was my staging point to visit Phoenix the following day.

It is also significant for a travelling Kiwi. The World War Two Battle of Crete was a disaster for the Allies. The Axis powers apparently treated the parachute invasion of Crete as something of a 'dress rehearsal' for the performance which never eventuated: the invasion of Britain.

The island was flooded with German soldiers from the air and once they had secured the airports it was the beginning of the end for the overwhelmed Allied forces. Some 16000 British, New Zealand, Australian, and Greek troops were ordered to retreat, marching south over the hazardous mountains to be evacuated by ship from Chora Sfakion. Over four successive nights, from 28 May 1941, 11000 were evacuated, before the pursuing forces trapped, and took prisoner, the remaining 5000 troops.

A memorial to the evils of war, in such a beautiful setting, is a poignant reminder of both the heights and depths to which human nature can rise and descend.

Above: Sunset, looking west from my accommodation at Chora Sfakion.

Below: British, Australian, New Zealand and Greek flags fly above the memorial to the evacuations, and captures, that took place in Chora Sfakion in May 1941.

Above: Dining out above the narrow beach at Chora Sfakion.

Below: The ferry, serving ports west of Chora Sfakion, including Loutro, 'gateway to Phoenix', docks at Chora Sfakion.

Photos: 26 and 28 Aug 2016

Phoenix (Acts 27:12)

The ship carrying Paul to Rome had by-passed Fair Havens in the hope of reaching Phoenix, considered a better port for wintering over. They never made it there, of course, being driven off course by a sudden storm (Acts 27:13ff).

Paul may not have made it there, but I did! I caught the ferry the next day and got off at Loutro, the first westward port of call. There is a rough coastal path, of about 1.5km, from Loutro around to Phoenix, a sleepy little cove. The path back over the hill to Loutro cuts the distance in half, but involves a bit of a climb.

I made it back to Loutro in time for a cold drink before catching the same ferry further west, to Agia Roumeli.

Below left: Approaching Phoenix along the narrow coastal track. Below right: Loutro from above on the return walk from Phoenix.

Photos: 27 Aug 2016

Wilfred Arnold (see here) had told me of his visit to Agia Roumeli and the small chapel dedicated to St Paul right on the coast to the east of the port. To get to it, on a day trip, requires a brisk walk along a narrow track, mostly on the lower slopes of the rugged coastal mountains, but occasionally along the beach. The walk, a distance of about 4km, needs to be brisk in order to see the chapel and then retrace your steps to Agia Roumeli in time for the ferry's departure! I was able to pick out the chapel in the distance, as the ferry sailed past, and I steeled myself for the hot, not so leisurely, walk!

Below left: Agios Pavlos, a small chapel dedicated to St Paul, on a remote beach in southwestern Crete.

Below centre: An atypical icon of St Paul in the chapel. It is quite different to the usual representation (see above at Fair Havens).

Below right: Anticipating the long walk back to the ferry. Agia Roumeli is away on the coast, visible just to the right of the 'dome' of the chapel.

Photos: 27 Aug 2016

Thus ended another journey following in the footsteps of St Paul. From Agios Pavlos it was all a matter of retracing my steps. First, back to Chora Sfakion, the next day back to Heraklion and, the day after, back to Athens and London for onward travel to meet up with Suzanne, for further holiday celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary.

Google Sites

Report abuse