Archeological Museum of Chania in Saint Francis Monastery
Encyclopedia
The Archaeological Museum of Chania is a museum located in the former Venetian Monastery of Saint Francis at 25 Chalidon Street, Chania
, Crete
, Greece
. It was established in 1962.
monks, and became an important monument of the city.
During the period of the Ottoman
occupation, the building was used as a mosque and named after Yussuf Pasha, the conqueror of Chania. At the turn of the 20th century it became the “Idaion Andron” Cinema and after World War II
it served as a storehouse for military equipment, until it housed the museum in 1962.The archaeological collection of Chania itself was formerly housed in various public buildings such as the Residency, the Boys’ High School, and the Hassan Mosque
.
In May 2008, the Crete Gazette announced that a new museum building is due to be constructed in the Chatzidakis Camp in the historical Chalepa area of Chania overlooking the sea. The modern building, designed by Theofanis Bobotis, who also designed the Patras Museum, will cover 6,500 square meters, including 1,800 square meters for exhibition halls, 140 square meters for the gallery and a 140-seat amphitheatre
.The new archaeological museum of Chania will also include interior and open-air exhibition areas, skywalks, a shop, a cafeteria and other visiting rooms.
and Roman
artifacts excavated from around the city of Chania and the surrounding prefecture, including pieces from the ancient cities of Kydonia, Idramia, Aptera
, Polyrinia, Kissamos
, Elyros
, Irtakina, Syia
and Lissos
, and also from Axos
and Lappas in Rethymno Prefecture
.
The museum contains a wide range of coins, jewellery, vases, sculpture, clay tablets with inscriptions, stelae and mosaics. The collection includes a clay sealing from Kasteli
, with a representation of a Minoan city and its patron deity dated to the second half of the 15th century BC. There is a clay pyxis
with a representation of a kithara player excavated from a chamber tomb in the area of Koiliaris in Kalyves-Aptera dated to 1300–1200 BC. There is also a clay tablet inscribed with Linear A
script from Kasteli, dated to 1450 BC and small clay tablets with texts in Linear B
script dated to 1300.
The museum has a Roman floor mosaic, depicting Dionysos and Ariadne
. The Archaeological Museum of Chania also has an ancient Cycladic style vessel from Episkopi
, Kissamos
and a number of busts including one of Roman emperor Hadrian
, found at the Dictynaion sanctuary in 1913 and a late Minoan sarcophagus from the necropolis of Armeni, dated to 1400–1200 BC. There is also a spherical flask, noted for its unusual ceramic type, dated to the Late Minoan III period.
Chania
Chaniá , , also transliterated Chania, Hania, and Xania, older form Chanea and Venetian Canea, Ottoman Turkish خانيه Hanya) is the second largest city of Crete and the capital of the Chania peripheral unit...
, Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. It was established in 1962.
Building
The exact date that the building was constructed is unknown although it was mentioned in writing as standing during the great earthquake of 1595 and being the largest in the city. It served as a Venetian church inhabited by FranciscanFranciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
monks, and became an important monument of the city.
During the period of the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
occupation, the building was used as a mosque and named after Yussuf Pasha, the conqueror of Chania. At the turn of the 20th century it became the “Idaion Andron” Cinema and after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
it served as a storehouse for military equipment, until it housed the museum in 1962.The archaeological collection of Chania itself was formerly housed in various public buildings such as the Residency, the Boys’ High School, and the Hassan Mosque
Hassan Mosque
*Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Hassan in Cairo*Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca...
.
In May 2008, the Crete Gazette announced that a new museum building is due to be constructed in the Chatzidakis Camp in the historical Chalepa area of Chania overlooking the sea. The modern building, designed by Theofanis Bobotis, who also designed the Patras Museum, will cover 6,500 square meters, including 1,800 square meters for exhibition halls, 140 square meters for the gallery and a 140-seat amphitheatre
Amphitheatre
An amphitheatre is an open-air venue used for entertainment and performances.There are two similar, but distinct, types of structure for which the word "amphitheatre" is used: Ancient Roman amphitheatres were large central performance spaces surrounded by ascending seating, and were commonly used...
.The new archaeological museum of Chania will also include interior and open-air exhibition areas, skywalks, a shop, a cafeteria and other visiting rooms.
Interior
The museum contains a substantial collection of MinoanMinoan civilization
The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age civilization that arose on the island of Crete and flourished from approximately the 27th century BC to the 15th century BC. It was rediscovered at the beginning of the 20th century through the work of the British archaeologist Arthur Evans...
and Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
artifacts excavated from around the city of Chania and the surrounding prefecture, including pieces from the ancient cities of Kydonia, Idramia, Aptera
Aptera, Greece
Aptera is a site in western Crete, a kilometer inland from the southern shore of Souda Bay, about 13 kilometers east of Chania in the municipality of Akrotiri. It is mentioned in Linear B tablets from the 14th-13th centuries BC. With its highly fortunate geographical situation, the city-state was...
, Polyrinia, Kissamos
Kissamos
Kissamos is a town and municipality in the west of the island of Crete, Greece. It is part of the Chania peripheral unit and of the former Kissamos Province which covers the northwest corner of the island. The city of Kissamos is also known as Kastelli-Kissamou and often known simply as Kastelli...
, Elyros
Elyros
Elyros is an ancient city, located in southwest Crete, in Kefala Hill, near the village Rodovani and is presently unexcavated. Elyros was flourishing at least as early as the Greek Classical Period, e.g. 500 to 350 BC. In the Classical Period Elyros was the most important ancient city in...
, Irtakina, Syia
Syia
Syia is an ancient city in south-west Crete. It is located in Sougia village, 70 km south of Chania.-History:Like Lissos, Syia was a capacious and safe harbour of Elyros. Strabo calls the town Syba. The name derives probably from the word “sys , i.e. hog. Therefore, Syia is the “hog-city”...
and Lissos
Lissos
Lissos is an ancient city in south-west Crete, in Agios Kirikos area, near the small village of Sougia, 70 km south of Chania....
, and also from Axos
Axos
Axos is a village in the Pella Prefecture in Central Macedonia, Greece, 4 km from the city of Giannitsa and 52 km from Thessaloniki. The village is home to the football club Niki Axou. From Axos originate the famous footballer Marios Nikolaidis....
and Lappas in Rethymno Prefecture
Rethymno Prefecture
Rethymno is one of the four regional units of Crete, Greece. Its capital is the city of Rethymno. Today its main income is tourism. The countryside is also based economically on agriculture and herding.-Administration:...
.
The museum contains a wide range of coins, jewellery, vases, sculpture, clay tablets with inscriptions, stelae and mosaics. The collection includes a clay sealing from Kasteli
Kasteli
Kastelli is a village and a former municipality in the Heraklion peripheral unit, Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Minoa Pediada, of which it is a municipal unit...
, with a representation of a Minoan city and its patron deity dated to the second half of the 15th century BC. There is a clay pyxis
Pyxis (pottery)
A pyxis is a shape of vessel from the classical world, usually a round box with a separate lid. Originally mostly used by women to hold cosmetics, trinkets or jewellery, surviving pyxides are mostly Greek pottery, but especially in later periods may be in wood, metal, ivory, or other materials...
with a representation of a kithara player excavated from a chamber tomb in the area of Koiliaris in Kalyves-Aptera dated to 1300–1200 BC. There is also a clay tablet inscribed with Linear A
Linear A
Linear A is one of two scripts used in ancient Crete before Mycenaean Greek Linear B; Cretan hieroglyphs is the second script. In Minoan times, before the Mycenaean Greek dominion, Linear A was the official script for the palaces and religious activities, and hieroglyphs were mainly used on seals....
script from Kasteli, dated to 1450 BC and small clay tablets with texts in Linear B
Linear B
Linear B is a syllabic script that was used for writing Mycenaean Greek, an early form of Greek. It pre-dated the Greek alphabet by several centuries and seems to have died out with the fall of Mycenaean civilization...
script dated to 1300.
The museum has a Roman floor mosaic, depicting Dionysos and Ariadne
Ariadne
Ariadne , in Greek mythology, was the daughter of King Minos of Crete, and his queen Pasiphaë, daughter of Helios, the Sun-titan. She aided Theseus in overcoming the Minotaur and was the bride of the god Dionysus.-Minos and Theseus:...
. The Archaeological Museum of Chania also has an ancient Cycladic style vessel from Episkopi
Episkopi
Episkopi may refer to:*Episkopi Cantonment, a British military base in Cyprus*Episkopi, Heraklion, a town in the Heraklion prefecture, Greece*Episkopi, Lasithi, a town in the Lasithi prefecture, Greece...
, Kissamos
Kissamos
Kissamos is a town and municipality in the west of the island of Crete, Greece. It is part of the Chania peripheral unit and of the former Kissamos Province which covers the northwest corner of the island. The city of Kissamos is also known as Kastelli-Kissamou and often known simply as Kastelli...
and a number of busts including one of Roman emperor Hadrian
Hadrian
Hadrian , was Roman Emperor from 117 to 138. He is best known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Roman Britain. In Rome, he re-built the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma. In addition to being emperor, Hadrian was a humanist and was philhellene in...
, found at the Dictynaion sanctuary in 1913 and a late Minoan sarcophagus from the necropolis of Armeni, dated to 1400–1200 BC. There is also a spherical flask, noted for its unusual ceramic type, dated to the Late Minoan III period.