Emparos.
Sklaverochori.
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are found depictions of the evangelical cycle and, unique in
Crete, scenes from the life of the saint. The founder’s inscrip-
tion mentions the Maris family, who were the dedicators, and
the date 1360. At the site of Aghia Irene in Arvi Viannou there
are ruins of an Early Christian basilica and a cemetery.
475.
Evangelismos. Mouchtaroi.
The large-scale church of Evangelismos is of the domed, free
cross plan type. Most remarkable are the wall-paintings in the
W barrel vault, with scenes of Adam and Eve, and of the Para-
bles of Jesus, well-executed works of art of the late 14th c.
Their style is associated with the wall-paintings in the transept
of Aghia Paraskevi Galyfas.
471.
Emparos.
The church of Saint George features one of the most signifi-
cant painting ensembles, dating to 1435-6 according to the
founder’s inscription. It is by the painter Manuel Phokas, one
of the main representatives of Constantinopolitan art in Crete
in the first half of the 15th c. This is the first well-known, signed
work of the Constantinopolitan painter.
476.
Diavaide.
The church of Aghios Georgios Sfakiotis displays evangelical
scenes on the barrel vault and the life of the saint on the lower
section, both expressed in the folkloric style of the first half of
the 14th c. There is a unique depiction of Aghioi Georgios and
Demetrios riding their horses on the sea accompanied by fishes.
472.
Drapeti.
The wall-paintings (early 15th c.) of the small, barrel-vaulted,
twin-naved church of Saints Anne and Nicholas combine evan-
gelical scenes with episodes from the lives of the two saints.
477.
Xydas.
In the barrel-vaulted, single-nave church of Saint Nicholas are
frescoes representative of the Palaeologan art of the first half
of the 14th c. Wall-paintings can also be found in the church
of Saint George, dated to 1321 according to a dedicatory in-
scription.
473.
Kasanoi.
The barrel-vaulted, single-nave church of Christ is decorated
with wall-paintings of three periods. The Pantokrator and hi-
erarchs in the conch are works of archaic art from the 13th
c. The evangelical scenes in the middle section of the barrel
vault date from the early 14th c. and the large picture of the
Αscension in the E section dates from the early 15th c.
478.
Kardouliano.
The wall-paintings of Panagia that have been removed are ex-
hibited in the Historical Museum of Crete. They are provincial-
style works of the mid-14th c.
474.
Arkalochori.
The spacious church of Archangel Michael, originally barrel-
vaulted and single-nave, was built in the late 13th c. In the
mid-14th c. a narthex with a low dome was added to the W. Of
interest are the pointed Gothic doorframes, which were widely
installed in Cretan churches in the 14th and 15th c., due to the
presence of the Venetians. Remnants of wall-paintings of the
13th and 14th c. survive.
479.
Sklaverochori.
In the church of Panagia is the most important wall-painting
ensemble of the last decade of the 14th c., distinguished in
Crete by its exquisite artistic quality. It is the work of an un-
known painter, one of the Constantinopolitan artists who set-
tled on the island in the late 14th c. (and about whom informa-
tion can be found in the archives). Besides the high-level art,
the reproduction of iconographical types known from surviv-
ing monuments in Constantinople is characteristic. Among the
saints of the Byzantine church calendar, the figure of Saint
Francis of Assisi is remarkable, created according to Western
