ARCHITECTURE AND RENAISSANCE INFLUENCES ON CRETE
The arrival of the Venetian colonists on Crete in 1211 infused architecture with the Venetian-Gothic style (a local variation on Gothic) and associated paradigms dominant in the mother city. Once the administration was established and the Roman church had been instated, western architectural forms were echoed in public buildings and religious foundations. Most Venetian-Gothic features were incorporated in the Latin monasteries modelled on the austere style of the 13th and 14th century.
The principles of Renaissance architecture, which originated in 15th century Italy, were disseminated throughout Europe and to Crete via books, plans and treatises. Their application by engineers of the Serenissima to fortification projects altered the appearance of towns on Crete (at Heraklion, Rethymnon and Chania, as well as at Spinalonga, Suda, Grambousa and other smaller fortresses), while also lending a distinctly Renaissance air to numerous religious and secular buildings all over Crete.
The High Renaissance or Mannerist forms dominant in Europe for approximately three centuries were copied on a smaller, simplified scale and applied to local monuments. On Crete they were disseminated mainly from the late 16th to the early 17th century. Mannerist influences remained popular until the end of Venetian rule, and are encountered mixed in with the local forms that developed from the 14th to the 16th century, with origins in the magnificent Venetian-Gothic style.
…in the province of Sitia
Together with the active presence of experienced engineers and artisans, major building projects in the cities had an influence on even the remotest of areas, such as the province of Sitia. Bearers of the Renaissance spirit were the nobles of Sitia, who were in direct contact with the island capital. Their numbers included important figures such as Giacomo Cornaro, the poet of Erotokritos Vincenzo Cornaro, and the historian Andrea Cornaro. Several of them had a broad humanistic education and were engaged in fostering the theatre, poetry and history writing. They possessed libraries and were abreast of developments in literature and art. In architecture and decoration they adopted new forms; among other things, through their grandeur and allusions to mythology and classical architecture these symbolized the peaceful, productive period the island was experiencing. Furthermore, an important role in the development of architecture in the province of Sitia was played by Gabriel Pantogalos, Abbot of Toplou Monastery, a leading figure of repute in Catholic and Orthodox circles, who embraced new paradigms when renovating the monastery.
FORTIFICATIONS
Fortifications, the most powerful symbol of the new regime, retained the form familiar from Byzantine times throughout the 13th and 14th century. The Venetians either made repairs to the Byzantine fortresses, just as the Genoese had previously done when masters of Crete from 1204 to 1211, or built new ones of the same type.
Castel Gerapetra (known as the Kale fortress nowadays) in Ierapetra and Castel Mirabello fall within this category, dating back to the 14th century.
From the 16th century, hostilities against the Ottoman Empire coupled with rapid developments in the art of fortification forced Venice to embark on an extensive overhaul of fortifications in its possessions. Prominent engineers, such as Michele Sanmicheli, Sforza Pallavicini, Giulio Savorgnan and others undertook to furnish the towns and fortresses of Crete with fortifications based on the new bastion system.
Rapid changes on an equivalent scale were implemented on Cyprus, chiefly at the fortifications of Nicosia and Famagusta. Beyond defence capability, such grand projects aimed to achieve architectural plenitude and grandeur.
… in the province of Sitia
From the 13th to the 15th century, fortifications employed the pre-bastion system, with vertical walls, square towers and machicolations, a typical example being the 14th century castle at Sitia (Castello di Settia or Kazarma Fortress). This is comparable to the 13th century Fortress of the Forty Columns (Saranta Kolones) at Paphos, with regard to the early use of embryonic triangular bastions. The remnants of a battlemented structure of unknown use have survived next to the church of Aghia Ekaterini in Etia. Furthermore, Monte Forte or Epano Kastelli near Krya, a Byzantine fort repaired by the Genoese, was renovated and used by the Venetians without any major alterations being made to its structure.
With regard to developments in the 16th and 17th century, no attempt was made to modernize the fortifications in Sitia province, since this was considered financially unsound and pointless in terms of defensive value. The only structures to be added were an increased number of watchtowers, which bore the basic features of the major defence works on a small scale, such as the tower at Petras.
FORTIFIED HOUSES
Fortified houses appeared from around the 15th century onwards. Owned by nobles, they were located in rural settlements outside the major urban centres. The houses were compact structures built to a rectangular ground plan with few openings, mainly so as to serve the needs of defence against pirate raids.
In the 16th and 17th century, fortified houses were extended and decorated, while also reflecting new building techniques.
… in the province of Sitia
In its initial phase, the villa at Etia was a fortified house of the first, unadorned type. Examples of towers betraying Renaissance influences are encountered in Voila and Zou, and at the ruined tower in Mesa Mouliana.
