Metropolitan Damaskinos of Kydonia fell asleep in the Lord

His Eminence Metropolitan Damaskinos of Kydonia and Apokoronou fell asleep in the Lord, after a long battle with cancer, at the age of 67 on the 8th of April 2025.

Metropolitan Damaskinos (Papagiannakis) of Kydonia and Apokoronou, Primate and Exarch of the Cretan and Myrtoan Sea, was born in Chania, Crete in 1958.

Following his schooling he studied in the Ecclesiastical School of Crete and in the Theological School of the University of Thessaloniki. Afterwards, he attended post graduate studies in the field of Worship and Arts and he attained his Masters degree. In 1976 he became a monk, in 1981 he was ordained as Deacon and the next year as a priest.

In 2001 he was appointed as Protosyncellus by his Eminence Metropolitan Eirinaios of Kydonia and Apokoronou of that time.

On the 7th of November 2006 he was unanimously elected by the Holy Provincial Synod of Crete as the Metropolitan of Kydonia and Apokoronou.