Priuli Fountain: A Blend of Cultures!

Tucked behind a local primary school, the Bodossakeio, and near the Dermatas Gate, the fountain stands proudly on Delimarkou Street, which is close to the well-known Kazantzakis Street. The Priuli Fountain is a fine example of Renaissance architecture, with Corinthian columns and pilasters gracing its design. The entire structure is crowned with a triangular pediment, while decorative niches flank the columns, adorned with intricate patterns on their metopes.

During the long siege of Heraklion (then known as Candia), the Ottomans cut off the water supply to the famous Morosini Fountain, leaving the city parched. It was during this crisis that Antonio Priuli, the General Superintendent of the city, discovered a water source in a trench near the Bethlehem Bastion, on the southern part of the Venetian walls. Around 1666, he diverted this water supply to an area opposite the Dermatas sea gate, where he built the fountain that still bears his name today.