The Martyron 25 August Street

The pedestrian street of Heraklion which leads from "Lions Square" to the Venetian port has played an important role in the city’s history and culture since the Venetian era. Like in almost all Venetian cities, Heraklion revolves around the economic activity of its port. The Ruga Maistra, as 25^th August Street was called then, connected the city's administrative centre with the harbour, which extended from the Dock Gate to the Voltone Gate. Featuring a series of fabulous buildings, such as the Temple of Agios Titos (Saint Titus), the Loggia, the Ducal Palace, the Morosini Fountain and Saint Mark’s Basilica, Ruga Maistra was the most impressive street in 17th century Candia. The Venetian authorities attached particular importance to the elegant image of the area and for this they had issued special provisions regulating the construction and façades of the buildings on Ruga Maistra.

Despite the decline in commercial activity during the Ottoman period, Vezir Tsarsi, as it was then called, remained one of the most important markets of the city. Ruga Maistra was also affected by with one of the most tragic incidents of the Ottoman period, when on August 25, 1898, many enraged Muslims attacked British soldiers and then turned against Christian residents of the city. A fire that broke out during the riots caused extensive damage to many buildings located on Ruga Maistra. The ruined buildings were subsequently replaced by splendid neoclassical mansions that impressed visitors as they were walking from the harbour towards the interior of the city and thus, created the illusion that Heraklion was a modern urban centre. That is why the locals often called it the Road of Illusion.

The events of August 25

As it often happens in History, the lull comes before the storm. In the case of Heraklion, one of the most dreadful and violent episodes of its history was the one which preceded the definitive liberation of the island from the Turks. Since mid-19th century, the Cretan Question, one of the most controversial issues of the "Eastern Question", had drawn more attention. The stakes, in essence, were the future of the island. The Christian inhabitants of Crete revolted demanding their liberation from the Ottoman domination and the union with the free Greek state. The Sublime Porte, of course, wanted Crete to remain as one of the Ottoman possessions, while things got even more complicated because of the conflicting interests of the European Great Powers. Eventually, after the Greek-Turkish war of 1897, and the defeat of the Greeks, the Great Powers imposed on Crete the solution of autonomy. The decision was announced to the Cretan people on July 18, 1898. Prince George of Greece was appointed High Commissioner of Crete. However, until his arrival on the island, an executive committee (the “Cretan Executive Committee”) assumed governance of the great island. Officers of the Cretan Executive Committee assumed office at the city tax office on August 25, 1898 (in the Julian calendar), accompanied by a detachment of the English Army. The delivery of administrative services by the Muslims to Christians, however, sparked unrest. The Muslim mob attacked the Christians, slaughtered civilians, burned down and looted houses, offices and shops. English soldiers and the consul of England Lysimachos Kalokerinos were also killed. The toll of the events was tragic: 300-400 Christians were killed and the city, together with the Gate of the Pier, were delivered to the flames. However, the murder of the British soldiers caused England's immediate reaction. A powerful squadron of the English fleet that had been docked in the port of Souda arrived, under the command of Admiral Noel, in the port of Heraklion, while 17 prominent Turkocretans were hanged as instigators of the massacre, and others were sentenced to imprisonment or were deported. The Turkish army was ordered to abandon the city and all other fortresses on the island. That is exactly what it did. On November 2, 1898, about two and a half centuries after its siege, Khándax (Candia) was liberated. Today, a pedestrian street with beautiful neoclassical buildings reminds us of that day. The Martyron 25 August Street (25 August Street). is located in the area that was then known as Vezir Tsarsi and was the epicentre of the bloody events that marked the history of the city.