The village of Fodele in Crete
.
Fodele
is a picturesque village located on the north coast of the
prefecture and lies 29km to the west of Heraklion. With a
population of 642 inhabitants the village nestles in a lush
valley full of plane trees and orange groves. Historians suggest
that Fodele Bay was the original site of the ancient town of
Astali which was the port of ancient Axos. Here, too, the famous
Greek painter, Dominicus Theotokopoulos (better known as El
Greco) was born in 1545. He spent most of his life in Spain but
his paintings were deeply influenced by the techniques
established by the Cretan School of Art. Places of interest to
visit at Fodele include the ruins of the house where it is
believed El Greco was born; the 14th century church, Panaghia
and the 11-12th century church, Theotokos Eisodia (the
Annunciation of the Virgin Mary) which belongs to the post
Byzantine period and boasts a cruciform plan with a large domed
roof. Close to the village, at an altitude of 450m is the
Venetian monastery of the Order of the Sabbath.