Fodele Heraklion, Tel. 2810 521 500
In the village of Fodele, 29 kilometers west of Heraklion, the EL GRECO Museum has been established. It is located at a distance of one kilometer from the village, where traces of the settlement of the Byzantine period have been identified, which was later abandoned. According to tradition, the great painter Domenikos Theotokopoulos was born and lived in the small stone house that has now been created as a museum. Greco". The building was found with serious damages from the passage of time. Its restoration began in 1982 with a grant from the Ministry of Culture and the significant help of the then Minister Melina Merkouris, in collaboration with the Fodele community and its President K. Makrydakis. It was rebuilt based on its original design. The museum exhibits copies of his main works and there is a representation of his workshop.
The Museum operates from April 1 to October 31. Spanish professors and students after long-term research carried out in collaboration with the Spanish consulate in Greece, and led by archeology professor Mr. Tormo of the University of Valladolid, confirmed the tradition that states that Fodele is the birthplace of Domenikos Theotokopoulos. On July 27, 1934, the above researchers traveled to the "enchanting village of Fodele" to pay tribute to the great painter and the place that gave birth to him. As a sign of respect, admiration and deep appreciation for the distinguished painter, who honored Crete and Toledo, they brought a copper plate embedded in a piece of rock from Toledo and placed it in Fodele.
The plaque is inscribed:
THE SCHOOL OF HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VALLADOLID,
PULSE IN THE HEART OF CASTILE,
OFFERS TO FODELE THIS PLAQUE,
CUT FROM THE ROCK OF TOLEDO, A MEMORY
OF THE IMMORTAL GLORY OF DOMINIKOU
THEOTOKOPOULOS.
JULY 1934
Editor: Fotini Anastasopoulou
