Karydaki Aqueduct

Here we meet the imposing Venetian aqueduct of Morosini at position Karydaki, which crosses the river that runs through Sylamos Gorge and ends at Knossos. If you cross the bridge you can visit the ruined church of Panagia Karydakiani monastery, on the opposite site.

This monastery was built on the site of a very important spring, which supplied Candia, today’s Heraklion city, with water after running a huge distance for those times. The water passed through the aqueducts of Morosini and reached the fountain of the central square of the town (today’s lions square in Heraklion) after 15km.

On the bridge there is an inscription with the date 1627. The aqueducts of Candia watered Heraklion till 1927!

This project was so important, that Morosini minted special coins depicting Zeus pouring water from Youktas Mountain. Nobody was allowed to plant trees at a distance of 10 feet, so as not to damage the tubes.