Kara Musa Pasha Mosque in Rethymnon

The Mosque of Kara Musa Pasha in Rethymnon is another former Venetian building turned into a mosque following the fall of Crete. It stands at the corner of Arkadiou and Hugo Street, near the Platia Heroon (Heroes Square) with the statue of the Unknown Soldier.

The Venetian building was originally the Monastery of St Barbara. The impressive Renaissance facade with ornate doorways and balconies dates from this stage. The Turks converted it into a mosque, adding domes and a minaret. Kara Musa Pasha was Grand Admiral of the Ottoman Navy during the capture of Rethymnon.

Today the building is closed to the public but you can admire its combination of Venetian and Turkish architecture through the locked outer gate.