Early Byzantine Art

The establishment of the new religion and concomitant need for new places of worship led to the construction of impressive churches on the island. The main types of church in this period were the wooden-roofed basilica, such as that at Kastri near Chersonissos, and the domed basilica, best exemplified by the cathedral dedicated to St. Titus at Gortyn.

Churches were often adorned with architectural members carved in relief, such as parapets, capitals and impost blocks, following the Hellenistic tradition.

Interior decoration was supplemented by mosaics and wall paintings. During the Iconoclast Controversy, geometric, vegetal and animal designs often symbolic in nature were most common. Following the restoration of the icons in 843, icon art began to emerge along with new types of church, such as the inscribed cruciform basilica with cupola.