Church of Virgin Mary Galatiani

The Church of Virgin Mary Galatiani in Malia is a three-nave structure dedicated to the Presentation of the Virgin Mary. Its name derives from the Greek word for milk, gála: tradition holds that shepherds contributed milk to mix with the mud used in its construction, or that it was named after an icon of the Virgin breastfeeding the infant Jesus. The church was built in different eras. The central nave dates from around 1400. The north nave, dedicated to Agioi Deka (Ten Saints), was added in 1840, while the south nave, dedicated to Agios Charalambos, and the bell tower were built in 1898. The altars in all three naves rest on columns removed from an Early Christian Basilica at Livadi. The iconostasis is woodcut in the central nave but wooden and clean-cut in the side naves.