The wealth of archaeological material yielded by excavations conducted over many years by the 13th Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities in the county of Chania, and also by retrieval of material and donations, forms a Collection that records, with great clarity, the history of the westernmost county in Crete from Early Christian times to the period of Turkish rule. Representative examples of this Collection are displayed in the church of San Salvatore. The aim behind the presentation of this material is to sketch the historical and artistic personality of the county of Chania during Byzantine and post-Byzantine times. The exhibits have been divided into groups based on the kind of object: mosaics, funerary inscriptions, wall-paintings, icons, architectural sculptures, ceramics and items of minor arts, and coins. The objects in each unit are presented in chronological order. Maps and explanatory panels inform visitors about the provenance of the items on display and the historical background of their period.

Some of the most important exhibits of the Collection are:
Part of a mosaic floor of an Early Christian basilica with a depiction of a deer and a vine. 6th century. Kasteli, Kisamos.
Two-zone column-capital decorated with acanthus leaves and birds. 6th century. Syia (Souyia), Selino.




Gold pendant with a bead of glass-paste. 6th-7th century. Almyrida, Apokoronas.
Bronze lamp with handle decoratd with a cross and a winding tendril. 6th-7th century. Maleme, Chania.
Jugs. 6th-7th century. Almyrida, Apokoronas.
Two-sided closure panel with representations of animals and plants and crosses on the narrow sides. 8th-9th century. Chania town.
Part of a wall-painting with a depiction of Saints Merkourios and Mamas. 11th century. Church of Agia Varvara, Latziana, Kisamos.
Pair of bronze earrings from a female tomb. 11th-12th century. Church of Agios Ioannis Theologos, Stylos, Apokoronas.
Grosso of Doge Pietro Gradenigo (1289-1311).
Sherd of a glazed vase with a depiction of a human figure. 15th - 1st half of 17th century. Agios Ioannis, Sphakia.
Apotropaic horned mask. 16th-17th century. Chania town.
Votive inscription with coats-of-arms of Venetian families from the town of Chania (1623). "the governor Jacopo Palma, and all his infantry and cavalry forces had this monument erected in the year of Christ 1623, in honour of this great man, who courageously resisted the enemy in battle, the founder of peace, the just ruler".
Icon with a depiction of Saint George on horseback slaying the dragon. By the painter Emmanuel Tzanes (1660-1680).
Bronze lamps. 17th century. Chania town.
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Source: The Hellenic Ministry of Culture