greek hotels - Rethymnon - The old town A few metres away, you will come across Petyhaki Square, which is the city's central square. Here you will find the famous Rimondi fountain, with water flowing out of three lion's heads. The sight of it is enough to send you back in time, to other eras... Don't be surprised if you hear the locals calling it the "vrissi ston platano" (spring at the sycamore tree). It is an accurate and Greek-adapted description of the monument. Nonetheless, it's sport ter-known name comes from Venetian nobleman Rimondi, who ordered its construction. It is said that he was trying to approximate the glory of the Morosini fountain in Heraklion (then Handakas). At the end of Ethnikis Antistasseos street, at Tessaron Martiron (four martyrs) Square, you can see the Megali Porta (or Guora Gate) where in 1824 the Turks decapitated four Christian martyrs (Manuel, Nikolaos, Georgios and Aggelis Retzepis). The church of the four martyrs was built there in their memory. The Venetian Loggia, a beautiful I 6th century building, which currently houses the Municipal Library, is located to the east of the square, at the end of Paleologou Street. The Loggia used to be a meeting-place for feudal lords, who would discuss the matters that concerned them, the economy, trade, politics, etc. This was also where they gambled, while the galleries were used by the city criers for proclaiming the state's decrees. The building was later influenced by the Turks, who - as was their habit - turned it into a mosque, walling up the arches and leaving only one entrance, while the necessary minaret was added on the west side. If you cross Vernardou Street to its end, i.e. south of Petychaki Square, you will reach the Nerantze mosque. This building was initially a Venetian church, dedicated to Santa Maria, but in 1657 it was - naturally - converted by the Turks into their own place of worship, a mosque. During this conversion, the three domes were added to the roof, as was the highest minaret in Rethymnon. Around half a century later, an attempt was made to use the mosque as an Orthodox church of Agios Nikolaos, but the effort did not succeed. Today, the building houses the Rethymnon Conservatory.

Summer-Hotels > Rethymnon > Rethymnon - The old town

A few metres away, you will come across Petyhaki Square, which is the city's central square. Here you will find the famous Rimondi fountain, with water flowing out of three lion's heads. The sight of it is enough to send you back in time, to other eras...
Don't be surprised if you hear the locals calling it the "vrissi ston platano" (spring at the sycamore tree). It is an accurate and Greek-adapted description of the monument. Nonetheless, it's sport ter-known name comes from Venetian nobleman Rimondi, who ordered its construction. It is said that he was trying to approximate the glory of the Morosini fountain in Heraklion (then Handakas).
At the end of Ethnikis Antistasseos street, at Tessaron Martiron (four martyrs) Square, you can see the Megali Porta (or Guora Gate) where in 1824 the Turks decapitated four Christian martyrs (Manuel, Nikolaos, Georgios and Aggelis Retzepis). The church of the four martyrs was built there in
their memory.
The Venetian Loggia, a beautiful I 6th century building, which currently houses the Municipal Library, is located to the east of the square, at the end of Paleologou Street. The Loggia used to be a meeting-place for feudal lords, who would discuss the matters that concerned them, the economy, trade, politics, etc. This was also where they gambled, while the galleries were used by the city criers for proclaiming the state's decrees.
The building was later influenced by the Turks, who - as was their habit - turned it into a mosque, walling up the arches and leaving only one entrance, while the necessary minaret was added on the west side. If you cross Vernardou Street to its end, i.e. south of Petychaki Square, you will reach the Nerantze mosque.
This building was initially a Venetian church, dedicated to Santa Maria, but in 1657 it was - naturally - converted by the Turks into their own place of worship, a mosque. During this conversion, the three domes were added to the roof, as was the highest minaret in Rethymnon.
Around half a century later, an attempt was made to use the mosque as an Orthodox church of Agios Nikolaos, but the effort did not succeed. Today, the building houses the Rethymnon Conservatory.