The tombs of two renowned Greek politicians, Eleftherios Venizelos and his son, Sophocles Venizelos, are located on the route from Chania Town to Akrotiri and the airport, on top of a hill with a panoramic view of the town.
Eleftherios Venizelos is one of Greece’s most powerful politicians today. He was born in 1864 in Turkish-occupied Crete and took part in local revolutionary activities for Crete’s independence as well as discussions with the Turks. He served as Prime Minister of Greece seven times and died in exile in Paris in 1936.
Venizelos, whose personal efforts in the early twentieth century doubled Greece’s territory and laid the groundwork for a modern social state, is revered by Cretans and all Greeks. Venizelos had requested to be buried at this location in Crete, east of his family home in the Chalepa section of Chania Town, with a panoramic view of the town, the Aegean Sea, and the White Mountains.
The mausoleum of Eleftherios Venizelos’ son, Sophocles Venizelos, who served as Prime Minister of Greece from 1943 until 1952, is located right next to his father’s monument. The Monastery of Prophet Elias, founded in the 16th century, is located right close to the graves, which are about 5 kilometers from Chania Town.
The flag of the last Cretan revolution was hoisted in 1897 in the bell tower of this monastery. Following the revolution, Crete was designated a free state for a period of time before being unified with the rest of Greece. Close to the tombs is a statue of combatant Spyros Kayales or Kayaledakis, which commemorates the last revolt. During the Great Powers’ fleet’s assault on the Cretan rebels in February 1897, Kayales used his body as a flagpole to support the Greek flag, which had been shot down by the shells.
