The International Congress of Cretan Studies (ICCS) was established in 1961 by the Society of Cretan Historical Studies (SCHS), aiming at the diffusion of research related to the history of Crete. The International Congresses are held once every five years, rotating between the capital cities of the four Cretan prefectures.
In the prefecture of Chania, the International Cretan Congress is organized by the Philological Society of Chania “O CHRYSOSTOMOS”, the oldest literary society of Crete (founded in 1899).
The city of Chania has hosted, to this day:
- The 2nd International Congress of Cretan Studies, 1966
- The 6th International Congress of Cretan Studies 1986 and
- The 10th International Congress of Cretan Studies, 2006.
The Philological Society “O CHRYSOSTOMOS” is preparing to host the 14th International Congress of Cretan Studies, which will take place in Chania between the 31st of October and the 7th of November 2027.
The Philological Society “Chrysostomos” was founded in 1899 in Chania, which at the time was the capital of the autonomous Crete. The initiative for the establishment of this cultural society—the oldest of its kind in Crete—belonged to a small group of progressive young people of the city, who took as their model the Philological Society “Parnassos,” founded in Athens in 1865.
From its foundation and for many years thereafter, “Chrysostomos” was presided over by Charalambos Fandridis, a prominent lawyer of Chania, fighter for the independence of Crete from the Ottoman Empire, and politician, who for a brief period also served as Minister of Justice in the autonomous government of Crete. Among its members during this period were notable figures such as Eleftherios Venizelos, Manousos Koundouros, Kostis Foumis, and Konstantinos Manos.
From the outset of its activities, the Society organized lectures, collected folkloric material, and established a “Night School” for impoverished young people of Chania—the children of fighters who had been killed during the Cretan revolts for the independence of the island. It also founded a “Sunday School for Destitute Girls,” a “Music Department,” and turned to physical education by establishing, in 1910, a “Shooting Section with Gymnasium.” Finally, it created a library under the name “Athena,” which later (in 1936), following its merger with other older libraries of the city—the library of the Religious Society “Apostle Titus,” that of the Cretan Philological Society, and the personal library of Professor Antonios Giannaris—became the first major Public Library of Chania. This library eventually numbered 16,000 volumes of editions rare for the time, including 350 early printed books.
The library was directed at various times by distinguished representatives of the local Church and the city’s intellectual life, such as the Bishop of Kydonia and Apokoronas, Agathangelos Ninolakakis, and later university professors Nikolaos Tomadakis, Georgios Spyridakis, and Stylianos Kapsomenos.
The halls of the Society hosted events of a social and educational nature, as well as entertainment activities, including dances renowned in their time. Well-known theatrical companies from Athens were also frequently invited to give performances.
The activities of the Society continued uninterrupted until the outbreak of the Second World War. The heavy bombardments that struck the old town of Chania in May 1941, during the Battle of Crete, caused extensive damage to the Society’s building as well, completely destroying its library. The Society’s rich archival collection, however, survived the destruction and is preserved to this day, constituting a valuable source of information on the social and intellectual life of Chania during the past century.
After the war, “Chrysostomos” repaired its building and resumed its operations. It re-established its library and restarted lectures of a social and educational character. More broadly, during this period the Society’s work focused primarily on intellectual and cultural activities, including the organization of honorary events for distinguished figures in Letters and the Arts, musical events, historical exhibitions, and art exhibitions. At the same time, it undertook the organization and hosting of scientific conferences, such as the International Congress of Cretan Studies, and carried out important publications.
In 1977, “Chrysostomos” acquired the rare photographic archive of Periklis Diamantopoulos, personal photographer of Prince George, documenting the historical period of the autonomous Cretan State.
In 1982, “Chrysostomos” was awarded the Silver Medal of the Academy of Athens in recognition of its multifaceted contribution to the region.
From the early 1990s, the Society embarked on the ambitious and demanding effort to restore its remarkable neoclassical building, a project completed with state support in the year 2000.
“Chrysostomos” also maintains an Art Gallery, recently enriched through significant donations of works by major artists, such as the renowned Cretan painter Andreas Georgiadis and the important Chania-born engraver and painter Nikos Damianakis.
Over the past decade, the Society has initiated collaboration with the Department of Architecture of the Technical University of Crete, organizing and hosting exhibitions and events dedicated to important architects who either originated from or were connected with Chania, such as Dimitris Antonakakis and Aristeidis Romanos. At the same time, cooperation began with the Municipal Art Gallery of Chania, leading to the co-organization of events—study days and lectures—held in the context of exhibitions hosted by the Gallery.