Köprülüzade Fazıl Ahmed Paşa Mosque in Heraklion

The mosque of the great vizier Köprülüzade Fazıl Ahmed Paşa, the conqueror of Heraklion, was founded after the conversion of Saint Titus Catholic monastery. The monastery's construction date is unknown; it was rebuilt in 1446 according to existing documentation. During the Venetian period, the monastery functioned as the seat of the Latin Archdiocese. At the time of the Ottoman conquest, the monastery building complex comprised four rooms on the second floor, with an iron window, and four rooms on the ground floor, featuring two iron windows. In addition, there were three rooms in the orchard, along with a ruined room. Within the orchard were various plantations, including vines, olive trees, almond trees, and citrus trees. The mosque was established near the city market, attracting many worshippers, according to Evliya Çelebi. The mosque was destroyed by the earthquake of 1856 and was rebuilt in the form that the building has today. The construction of the new mosque was entrusted to the architect Athanasios Mousis from Tatavla. It was inaugurated in 1871 and it was given the name Yeni Vezir Camii. In 1925, the mosque was converted into an Orthodox church, which was dedicated to Saint Titus. It has been serving as an Orthodox church ever since.