| Publication of a series of documents sent from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople to the Church of Crete and the Heraklion Council of Elders from 1857 to 1869. As historical sources they shed light on various aspects of church history on the island in the final phase of Turkish rule – above all on certain matters within the brief of the Metropolitan of Crete, in his capacity as president of the Heraklion Council of Elders. The Metropolitan was likewise accountable to the Patriarchate and the Sublime Porte on all matters concerning the activities of Christians on the island. The documents are held in the archives of the Heraklion Council of Elders and the Archdiocese of Crete. |