On Saturday, May 28, 2022, the ‘Agios Polykarpos’ Brotherhood of Asia Minor Greeks of Chania commemorated the centenary since the Asia Minor Catastrophe by organising a blessing of the icons their refugee ancestors had brought with them from their homelands.
They chose the church of Agios Nikolaos due to its strong connection with the town’s refugee history. It was the main church of Splantzia, an area which received a large number of refugees since it offered easier access to housing, with the Muslim residents having already abandoned it and leaving their homes behind. The church itself is a product of successive population movements through the island of Crete. It was originally founded as a Catholic church by the Dominican monks who lived in Chania during the island’s Venetian period. After the town was captured by the Ottomans, the church was converted into the main mosque of Chania, Hünkâr Camii, and a two-balcony minaret was erected which still stands today. After the population exchange, it became a Christian Orthodox church dedicated to Agios Nikolaos and, in the 1950s, a belfry was added to the north side of the church. Today, the building constitutes a unique religious monument with a belfry and a minaret coexisting on the same site.
On the morning of the event, a small procession started from the entrance of Splantzia Square. Members of the Brotherhood, dressed in the traditional outfits of Asia Minor, were accompanied by similarly dressed members of other local associations: the ‘Megas Alexandros’ Association of Macedonians-Threcians, the ‘Romania’ Pontian Association, the ‘Viglatores’ Traditional Association, the ‘Arodamos’ Music and Dance Association. Across the street from the church, they were welcomed by the Philarmonic Orchestra of the Municipality of Chania. The descendants of Asia Minor refugees entered the church of Agios Nikolaos carrying the icons in their arms and attended a short service.
Around 30 icons were transported to the church for this ceremony. Some of them were in good condition, others were more fragile; some depict more obscure saints, others more recognizable ones; some have well-established origins, others are a mystery.
The Tourna family home in Chania houses an embroidered cross which travelled to Crete from Fokaia (Foça) after the Asia Minor Catastrophe. Agios Nikolaos and Agios Fanourios hung on the walls of the Rakopoulou family home for decades. Agios Eleftherios was split in two on the pier of Smyrna and each branch of the family took a piece of the icon before boarding two different ships. An icon of Agia Anastasia from Magnesia in Asia Minor was donated to the church of Splantzia in 1997, while another icon of the same saint, which the Dimopoulou family carried to Greece from Vourla (Urla) after 1922, travelled from Herakleion to Chania for the event. The icon of Christ made it to Chania after a long journey beginning from Kars, Pontus. At the Kokkinou family home in Herakleion, the icon display protected an icon of the Virgin Mary for decades. Recently, a refugee descendant discovered that it also held a pouch filled with soil from Asia Minor.
