During Venetian rule the great Byzantine architectural tradition in church construction described above continued unchanged. The influence of the West was only evident in the exterior appearance, which took on a more Gothic style with a heavy presentation in the front of the church and was then complemented with a bell tower. More ornate decorations of external doors and windows were also apparent.

Examples of such churches are the church of the monastery of Arkadi, in Rethimnon,and the churches of the monasteries of Agia Triada and Gouverneto on the Akrotiri, Kydonia. Ornate doors and windows appear in many churches built in this era, as is the case with Agios Fanourios of the Varsamonero Monastery, the church of the Panagia in Drakonero, Prinos, Rethimnon and the church of the Panagia in Thronos, Amari. The church of Agii Apostoli in Sfakia and some other churches are built so that the three ends of the cross are round, thus returning to the very old tradition of the first Byzantine churches, such as Agios Titos of Gortyn.