The
Historical Museum of Crete
is a multi-faceted museum narrating seventeen centuries of history on the island, from Early Christian times to the modern era. The exhibition is much
more than a mere display of artefacts. At every turn, visitors are invited to interact with new media.
From Byzantium to the Baroque (330-1669 AD)
The meeting ground of the monotheists: Christians from the East and West, Arabs, Ottomans and Jews come together on Crete.
This exhibition includes Byzantine and Venetian
sculpture
and
ceramics,
as well as Ottoman weaponry surviving from the Cretan
War. Added to these are frescoes and
portable icons,
coins,
jewellery,
maps and a large
model of 17th century Chandax.
From the Ottoman Empire to Modern Hellenism (1669-1945)
The eventful birth of national consciousness on a large Mediterranean island. Ottomans and Cretans as two cultures
living alongside each other. Mosques, Turkish mansions and dervishes. Exhibits include
wall paintings, architectural members,
inscriptions, imperial decrees and household artefacts, alongside objects from the parallel life led by Christians: altar furnishings,
vestments and patriarchal edicts. There are
flags
and weapons, as well as items of everyday use from the turbulent 19th century;
portraits
and photographs of leading figures in modern history; archive material and artefacts from
World War II
and the
Battle of Crete.
A great painter
Two early paintings by El Greco - the only ones on Crete - at the halfway stage in his journey from East to West:
The Baptism of Christ" (1567) and
"View of Mt. Sinai and the Monastery of St. Catherine" (1570).
A writer and a politician
The
desks,
libraries, manuscripts, personal mementoes and archive material relating to two outstanding Cretans: the author
Nikos Kazantzakis and Prime Minister of Greece Emmanuel Tsouderos.
Folk culture
Life in rural Crete during the 19th and early 20th centuries. This exhibition includes
costumes,
jewellery, musical instruments,
weavings and minor objects, together with a reconstruction of the
interior of an old Cretan village house.
The Historical Museum of Crete has two temporary exhibition rooms and a small amphitheatre for hosting presentations, day
workshops and small-scale conferences, as well as educational programmes. The Museum also includes a Library, a Cafe and a Shop.
The text has been provided by the Historical Museum of Crete
