[1] The Venetians transferred the cathedral seat to the fortezza after the previous church was completely destroyed[2] during the 1571 invasion.

[3] In 1585, the successor bishop Carrara refused to hold masses in the church, claiming that it was not adequately equipped and the space was too narrow.

[3] Very shortly after the town of Rethymno was conquered by the Ottomans, they demolished the church and built the mosque, dedicated to Sultan Ibrahim I in 1648, with a large, imposing dome.

[1][4] The complaed became property of the city of Rethymno in 1971; it was restored between 2002 and 2004 by the Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities, and now it is used as an exhibition center.

[2] Furthermore, the mihrab with its elaborate relief designs and the base of the demolished minaret inside the building are also still visible.