One of the best preserved parts of the ancient town of
Gortyna on Crete is the
Basilica of Agios Titos. It's dedicated to St. Titus, who came to Crete at the apostle Paul's request. Titus set up his bishopric in this city and built the first Christian church here. The basilica was built in the 6th century over the tomb of St. Titus.
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| The back of the basilica |
The center of the apse where the main altar was located is now empty, but we discovered an icon with candles and a censer in the left side room. There was even a spot for a donation, so we lit a candle.
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| Where the main altar would have been |
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| A small area for prayer |
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| J gets some help lighting a candle |
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| Sorry for the reflection on the glass! Titus on left, Paul on right. |
The nave of the church is gone (probably the stonework was taken for use elsewhere). Some part of the columns still remain scattered around.
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| The nave |
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| After 1500 years, still in amazing shape |
One spot was either the tomb or the spot where Titus was executed. We couldn't read the sign!
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| A holy spot either way |
The rest of the Gortyna site is quite amazing and will be tomorrow's post!
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