The Venizelos Tombs are located a few kilometers east of Chania, on the road to Akrotiri and the airport. Here rest the charismatic politician and seven-time Prime Minister of Greece, Eleftherios Venizelos, as well as his son, Sofoklis Venizelos, who also served as Prime Minister from 1943 to 1952.
At the same site stands the small Church of Prophet Elias and the statue of Spyros Kagialedakis (also known as Kagiales), who during the 1897 Cretan Revolution, on February 9th, heroically stood against the bombardment of the Cretans by the fleet of the Great Powers. Twice, the flag fell under the impact of shells, and Kagiales raised it upright at the risk of his life. When a third shell destroyed the flagpole, Kagiales used his body as a staff and held the flag high. The admirals, observing the Greek flag waving proudly with a man supporting it, were astonished by the bravery of the Cretan and ordered the bombardment to stop.
Today, the Venizelos Tombs serve as a site of historical memory and honor, linking the political and military history of Crete with the national heritage of Greece.
