| The
town of Agii Deka is situated halfway along the country road,which
crosses the Messara plain.
It is built on the ancient cemetery of Gortyna. Its name refers
to the Holy Ten Martyrs, who were decapitated here during the Roman
emperor Decius' persecution of the Christians in 250 AD.
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| The
names of the martyrs were Theodoulos, Satorninos, Efporos, Gelasios, Evnikianos, Zotikos,
Pompios, Agathapous, Vasileidis and Evarestos.
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On
the outskirts of the town is the church where they are buried. |
| Nearby is the old Agii Deka church,
set a little lower than the terrain. Historians disagree whether the church
should be dated to the
first or the second Byzantine period. |
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In
the church, and among other relics, is the stone where the martyrs
kneeled when they were decapitated. You can still clearly see the imprints of the
their knees. |
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| In
contrast to the modern part of town, which is situated along the main
road,
the old, southern part is incredibly beautiful and architecturally fascinating.
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