| The state of the Orthodox clergy on Crete following annexation of the island by Venice is described by reference to accounts deriving mainly from Greek, Latin and Italian sources. The paper looks at the ecclesiastical regime imposed by the Venetian authorities, and at the policies they pursued towards the Catholic and Orthodox faiths, moving on to trace the reactions of Orthodox priests in the towns and countryside, the conditions in which they were ordained, their writ and duties, their stance on the union of the churches, their standard of learning and their moral stature. Relevant information in the reports of Giacomo Foscarini, Giulio Garzoni, Zuane Mocenigo, Benedetto Moro and Francesco Morosini is cited. |