Despite its name, Kainourgio Chorio (“New Village”) is actually an old settlement!

During the Venetian rule (1211–1669), it was mentioned in a 1271 contract as well as in censuses and other documents. By 1583, according to the Venetian census of Castrofylakas, the village had 134 inhabitants.

In the last century of Venetian rule, large estates in the village belonged to the noble Foscolo family of Venetian origin. Today, their fortified residence – the Tower – still stands, although it underwent modifications during the Ottoman period. It may have even been converted into a bathhouse at that time. The upper part of the Tower collapsed in a 1926 earthquake.

In 1973, a triangular plaque was discovered on the Tower’s eastern side, bearing the inscription:
“ANDREAS FOSC[OLO] RESTAURARE FECIT M[…]”
This means that Andreas Foscolo had the building restored. Historical documents confirm that Andreas was the father of the Cretan Renaissance poet Marcantonio Foscolo (c. 1597–1662), who wrote the famous comedy Fortounatos during the Cretan War (1645–1669).

The plaque, now housed in the Historical Museum of Crete, had been reused as building material when the Tower was reconstructed during Ottoman rule. It likely came from the nearby small church of Agioi Saranta, mentioned in the poet’s 1661 will. The church was demolished in the 20th century.

Marcantonio Foscolo & the Cretan Renaissance

Marcantonio Foscolo was a major figure of the late Cretan Renaissance. His play Fortounatos is considered a significant work and has been staged multiple times since the 1960s.

He also created a manuscript copy of the famous tragedy Erofili by his beloved poet Georgios Chortatzis, often called “the father of modern Greek theatre”. Foscolo’s Erofili manuscript, discovered in 1970, has helped improve later editions of the play.

Byzantine Churches & Venetian Wine Presses

In Kainourgio Chorio, you can also find the double-aisled church of Panagia and Agia Paraskevi, possibly identified with Panagia Agiodektiani, mentioned in Foscolo’s will. Writing from besieged Candia (Heraklion), Foscolo requested to be reburied in this church once Crete was liberated from the Ottomans.

Inside the church, fragments of Venetian-era frescoes are still visible. It once served as the village cemetery church, before the graveyard was relocated outside the village during the Interwar period.

Additionally, the village has large Venetian-era wine presses, among the biggest in Crete.

The Legacy of Antonios Pantimos

Another notable figure associated with Kainourgio Chorio was Antonios Pantimos (1602–1646/47). While studying at the University of Padua in northern Italy, he wrote the Italian-language tragicomedy L'Amorosa Fede ("The Love Fidelity"), published in Venice in 1620.

The play was dedicated to the wedding of two prominent nobles, Francesco Querini and Kallergia Kallergi, and contains strong expressions of Cretan patriotism.

Pantimos was acquainted with Foscolo, and their names appear together in contemporary documents.

(Source: Alfred Vincent – Researcher & Honorary Member of the Department of Modern Greek and Byzantine Studies, University of Sydney)