Location
Church of Saint Paraskevi, Anisaraki
Anisaraki, Chania
Church of Saint Paraskevi, Anisaraki – Anisaraki, Chania
The Church of Saint Paraskevi in Anisaraki, in the municipality of Kandanos–Selino in western Crete, is a small yet significant historic sacred monument set within the landscape of an agricultural valley. Located immediately next to the Church of Panagia, it represents an example of rural ecclesiastical architecture dating to the 14th century, reflecting the spiritual and artistic activity of the Selino region—an area less widely known, yet exceptionally rich in churches. The church’s modest exterior contrasts with the historical and artistic value of its interior, particularly the frescoes, which—despite the passage of time—continue to testify to the importance of the site for the local community. The Church of Saint Paraskevi serves as a reminder that even small Cretan villages maintained their own places of worship with artistic and cultic aspirations, and that the paths leading to them—often far from main routes—contribute to their character as secluded and intimate places.
Description
The building is a single-nave stone church with a barrel vault, immediately pointing to the tradition of Cretan sacred architecture in the medieval period. Field descriptions indicate that the church once contained frescoes dating to the first half of the 14th century—although today they survive in a poorer state of preservation—making it one of the examples of Cretan mural painting of that period in the Selino region.
At a more detailed level of analysis, the interior preserves frescoes from two distinct phases: one attributed to around the mid-14th century (likely the work of a local or regional workshop), and a second, possibly later phase. The style of the paintings combines simplified iconography with classical elements and a local idiom, suggesting that the community of Anisaraki was not artistically isolated, but participated in broader currents of Cretan visual culture.
The church’s architecture indicates a durable structure that served the village over centuries, even though precise dates of construction or later modifications are not documented. Its location in a valley among olive groves, and its proximity to other rural churches in the region, emphasize the character of the Selino sacred landscape, where each settlement maintained its own church, often decorated with wall paintings. In this way, the Church of Saint Paraskevi forms part of a wider religious and artistic context.
Access to the church is straightforward: it lies near the village of Anisaraki and can be reached on foot or by car from Kandanos. During a visit, attention should be paid to the proportions of the building which, although modest, contains an interior with frescoes that were once far more extensive. Despite the degradation of the paintings, the interior retains a strong sense of a living place of worship—something relatively rare in such small rural churches.
For a catalog of Cretan monuments, the Church of Saint Paraskevi represents an important example in that it:
testifies to artistic and sacred activity within small rural communities;
preserves 14th-century frescoes that remain largely legible;
forms part of the dense network of village churches in the Selino region, known for the abundance of such monuments;
allows for a quiet visit away from established tourist routes.
Location
Anisaraki, Chania
Coordinates: 35.33212, 23.75981