The foundation stone of the church was laid on 25th March 1862 by the high priest Dionysios Charitoniadis, who later became the Ecumenical Patriarch.

The plans for the church were made by the architect Athanasios Moussis from Epirus.
The outbreak of the Cretan revolution in 1866 led to the immediate cessation of works, which resumed in 1883 and were completed in 1895. The construction of the church was made possible by the contributions of numerous residents of Heraklion, who either provided financial support or offered their personal services free of charge. The cost of construction amounted to 30,000 pounds.

The inauguration was conducted in grand fashion on 16th April 1895, which was also the Sunday of the Myrrh-bearers, by Timotheos Kastrinogiannakis.

‘It is doubtful whether Heraklion had ever before witnessed such a splendid religious celebration as that which took place during the consecration of the newly-built Metropolitan Church of St Minas. People from all over the island flocked to the city, and the decoration of our hometown was unprecedented. The enthusiasm of the festivities was indescribable, as was noted in a report of the time.

On 11th November, the church observes St Minas Day, which is recognized as a public holiday for Heraklion.

‘...I walked down Kalokairinou Avenue and arrived at the Metropolitan Church of St Minas. The church was still standing with only a few broken windows, despite the bombing. A bomb had exploded in the courtyard next to the southwest corner of the church, leaving only a small crater. Another large bomb was lying next to the northwest corner of the church, just one metre away from the wall, but it had not gone off. It must have weighed over 250 kilograms. I entered the church and lit a candle and couldn't help but think about the destruction that would have occurred had that bomb exploded. When I asked the candle-lighter if the church had suffered any damage, he responded that St Minas had worked his miracle once again and there was hardly any damage to speak of.’ 

(Malagardis Lefteris P, Armageddon, Athens 1982, p. 99)

Source: Municipality of Heraklion, Photos: Region of Crete