Michalis Andrianakis, an archaeologist and honorary Ephor of Antiquities, passed away at the age of 74 on Sunday afternoon. He had been hospitalized for some time at Chania Hospital.

He was a significant member of the archaeological community with notable contributions in Chania and all of Crete. Despite his health issues, he remained active in social movements and matters concerning the cultural and monumental heritage of Chania and Crete.

Michalis Andrianakis, who served for many years as head of the Byzantine Antiquities Ephorate, worked as an archaeologist for the Ministry of Culture from 1975 to 2000. He was subsequently appointed director of the 13th and 28th Ephorates of Byzantine Antiquities until 2011.

An author, columnist, president, and member of scientific committees, he dedicated a large part of his life to the research, restoration, preservation, and promotion of Byzantine and post-Byzantine monuments in Chania and throughout Crete.

He was at the forefront, supporting the civil society’s claims for cultural heritage. As a local government official in the 1990s in the then Chania Prefecture, he passionately defended the principle that monuments belong to the citizens and that it is their duty to pass them on intact to future generations.

With roots in Apokoronas, Michalis Andrianakis was considered by many to be a teacher and the reason why they came to appreciate the value of Crete’s monumental and cultural heritage.