In the North from the Cathedral of Saint Minas is the square of St. Catherine, which is named after the namesake Church, located here. The area is a wonderful oasis in the city centre with its cosy cafés and playgrounds. Hallmark square are thousands of pigeons, which enjoyed feeding the locals and guests of the city. Surrounded by modern buildings, the Church of St. Catherine seems timeless. Since 1967, the building houses the Museum of religious art.

The Church of St. Catherine was built in 1555 and belonged to the monastery of St. Catherine on mount Sinai. Venetian architecture had a great influence on the appearance of the temple. From the 15th to the 17th century, the temple was the center of intellectual and artistic activity. The nuns of the monastery was organized at the Church of the Orthodox school, where he studied ancient Greek authors, philosophy, theology, rhetoric and art. In this school were educated and famous El Greco.

Once in 1669 Heraklion was occupied by the Turks, the Church of St. Catherine was turned into a Muslim mosque that stood here until the 20th century, when Crete became independent.

The artifacts in the Museum present the history of Greek Orthodoxy from the 14th to the 19th century. Here you can see an excellent collection of icons, manuscripts, frescoes, altar furniture, books, vestments, Church utensils and much more. The Museum has six unique works of Michael Damaskinos, which is one of the best representatives of the Cretan school of painting. Among them the famous altarpiece "the adoration of the Magi".