| Description : The monastery church of Arkadi was built in 1587 during the
Venetian domination of Crete as a reconstruction of an earlier church. After the conquest of Crete by the Ottoman Empire,
which was completed in 1669, the monks obtained permission to return to Arkadi after their subjugation. In 1760 there were
200,000 Muslims and 60,000 Christians living on Crete. In 1866 a revolutionary committee against the Ottoman occupation was
formed in the monastery of Arkadi. On the 7th of November 1866, an Ottoman army of 15,000 men attacked the
monastery, which was home to 964 people, including 325 men fit for battle. After two days of hopeless resistance, the
besieged decided not to fall into the hands of the enemy alive and blew themselves up in the powder magazine. The tragedy
caused an international sensation. After the Turkish‐Greek War, Crete gained autonomy in 1898, and in 1913 Crete
finally became part of the Greek state. Around 50,000 Turks had to leave the island, and many Greeks from Asia Minor moved
to Crete. The coin shows the west façade of the church and below it the inscription "ΜΟΝΗ
ΑΡΚΑΔΙΟΥ" (Arkadi monastery). On the left is
"ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ"
(Hellenic Republic), on the right the year of issue "2016". Below is a palmette the mint mark of the Greek mint
Νομισματοκοπειο / Nomismatokopeio
(Bank of Greece ‐ Mint) in Halandri. The signet "ΣΤΑΜ" of the coin designer Georgios
Stamatopoulos appears on the lower right. |
