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Sights - Rethymnon Prefecture |
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The Amari Valley - The Agia Paraskevi Church |
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Near the Asomaton Monastery is the little cruciform church of Agia Paraskevi from the 13th century. |
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In the northern wall of the church you see a grave where a certain Georgios Chortatsis is buried. In the recess is also a fresco depicting the two donators of the church and a big figure of Christ. |
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| The Chortatsis family
was one of the big families ("The 12 Sons of Princes"), sent to
the island in 1082 by the Byzantine state to consolidate its power.
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| Well-known members of
the family are the
brothers
Georgios
and
Theodoros
Chortatsis
from
Rethymno,
who
lead
the
actual
rebellion
against
the
Venetians
in 1272 that started in the eastern Crete. From the Lassithi plateau the
rebels made attacks on the Venetians,
while
Georgios
Chortatsis
besieged Chandakas (Iraklion). He however was betrayed by Alexios Kallergis who co-operated
with the Venetians. After big transportation of troops from Venice the
rebellion was neutralized in 1278, and many of the rebels fled to Asia
Minor.
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| Another famous member
of the family is the poet Georgios Chortatsis from the middle of the 16th century. In those days and
until the island was conquered by the Ottomans in 1669, the cultural life
in Crete was flourishing, inspired by the Italian renaissance.
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| Georgios Chortatsis was the first since Antiquity to write stage plays in Greek, and he introduced and developed the dramatic art on the island. | |||
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| His
principal work is Erofíli, a magnificent tragedy from about 1590, greatly
influenced by Giovanni Battista Giraldi´s Orbecche, but many of the
bloody scenes are however omitted. Erofíli distinguishes itself by its
poetic style, the cultured language and the dignity towards the figures.
Chortatsis also mastered the art of letting the excitement grow throughout
the play to culminate at the end. The tragedy made a great impression on
the population of that time which appears from the numerous variants that
developed and are still being sung.
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| Chortatsis wrote furthermore
the pastoral drama Panória (1590-1610), and the comedy Katzoúrbos
(1595-1600), which is considered by professionals to be the best of the
Cretan comedies that have survived to the present time.
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