For years one of the greatest temples of the city lied in ruins on the side of the main road by the sea. And one day, its restoration started, bringing it back to its initial form.
The temple was first built during the first years of the Venetian period and belonged to the monastic order of Dominicans (Domenicani Predicatori). The temple suffered major damages in the earthquake of 1508 but was later reconstructed by the Ottomans and was converted into the mosque of Sultan Ibrahim with a minaret at its southwest corner. Recent excavations in the wider area revealed tombs of the second Byzantine period and a habitation of the Arabic period, now exhibited in the Historical Museum.
The temple was restored in order to be used as a cultural venue and a meeting place for international, orthodox, Christian and religious congresses. However, we haven’t seen anything like that happening up until now. Plus, there are no "stable" opening days or hours, so it is not easy to visit it, unless you are lucky and you just happen to find it open. For sure it is open on the 29th of June, the celebration day of St. Peter and St. Paul.