Completion of the Memorial Site at Amiras, Viannos (1994)

In May 1994, the major memorial site dedicated to the memory of 470 Cretan civilians from eleven villages, executed during the German Occupation, was completed in Ano Viannos, Heraklion, on the mountain within the community of Amiras.

On an imposing site covering 1,000 square metres, at an altitude of 800 metres, with the Libyan Sea and the area’s rugged landscape as a backdrop, sculptor Antonis Pavlakis created a large sculptural composition in stone following his distinction in the nationwide artistic competition. Architect Kostas Kyriakou undertook the architectural design of the site, enhancing the sculptural work.

The composition comprises eleven austere stone figures of Cretans, one for each of the affected villages, bearing the victims’ names on their chests. A pedestrian path leads visitors to the pre-existing, elevated bronze work by sculptor Yannis Parmakelis. The organic coexistence of these two works within the same space creates a unique artistic ensemble.

Placed in harmony with the light and the natural surroundings, the stone figures convey, with restraint and respect, the tragic yet heroic grandeur of the sacrifice of the 470 Cretans.