This park, in Heraklion center is named after the great Dominikos Theotokopoulos, or El Greco
(as the Spanish, who could not pronounce his name, used to call him – meaning The Greek)

El Greco was born in Heraklion (at that time called Candia) in 1541, during the Venetian Dominance.
He studied in Crete and left the island when he was 26 years old to visit Italy, and afterward in Spain (Madrid)

He refused to pay taxes, believing that being an artist should be considered a ‘free profession’ and he will become the first artist in Spain that is not obliged to taxation. He was very confident about his art and was well respected.

After his death, his art started to diminish and his eccentric style was considered by many, weird and caused by a nervous problem or by eye issues.

He was re-discovered at the 20th century, appreciated by art historians and by a variety of emblematic figures like Pablo Picasso, Jackson Poloc, Rainer Maria Rilke, Nikos Kazantzakis and more..

—- This statue was created in 1949 by artist Mr Nikos Sofialakis —