THE DESTRUCTION OF CRETE (TIS KRITIS O CHALASMOS): A POEM ON THE EARTHQUAKE IN CRETE IN 1508

Abstract

At the beginning of the 16th century, in 1508, a very strong earthquake hit the island of Crete causing great destruction, especially in its eastern part. Manolis Sklavos, a poet, who is unknown to us from elsewhere, accounted in the Destruction of Crete (Tis Kritis o chalasmos) a poem of about three hundred verses, the tragic moments of the earthquake, the victims and the damage to the buildings. In his poem, Sklavos emphasized that the earthquake was a divine punishment that occurred due to people’s sins, and therefore called them to pray and repent. The Destruction of Crete is one most important historical sources of this earthquake. In this poem, we believe that the name “Crete” refers only to the city of Candia and not to the island in general. Based on the content of the poem, we may assume that Manolis Sklavos was a native of Candia and that he was in the city at the time of the earthquake. Another important source about the 1508 earthquake in Crete is the letter of Girolamo Donato, the Venetian Duke of Crete, dated July 15, 1508.