WEATHER
Anogeia
Light Showers
11°C
Wind: 15 Southwest
Rethymno
16°C
Wind: 27 West
Spili
14°C
Wind: 06 West
Fragma Potamon
17°C
Wind: 13 West
courtesy of: www.meteo.gr
Kallikratis - Argiroupoli
Length: 16 km
Estimated time: 5 hours
Suggested period: January - December
Difficulty: None
Argiroupoli
Argiroupoli is 27 km far from Rethymno. It is built on a 260 m altitude on the foot of Azonas hill and it has a view on the lush green and verdurous valley of Mouselas River, whose 10 rich springs are 50 metres underneath the village. These springs are called Agia Dinami (holy force). The little church of Agios Ioannis is in a spring-cave. However, the water is not used nowadays, whereas in past times it was used to move several watermills to grind cereals. Petrol has now replaced water for this purpose.
The village comprises two neighbourhoods nowadays, as well. They are called Pano Argiroupoli and Kato Argiroupoli. Many houses are built with materials taken from ancient buildings of Lappa and Venetian seigneurs’ manors. Nowadays, some Venetians mansions with arcades and inscriptions are saved and inhabited. The names of residents that used to be officials during the Venetian years are also saved.
The area’s rich soil still produces great quantities of olive oil, exquisite wine, citrus fruits, cereals, locust beans, acorns and stockbreeding products. This has drown the Venetians’ attraction and many of them had settled there.
During the Turkish occupation, this village is mentioned as Gaidouroupoli or Samaropoli. In 1822, the revolutionary committee gave it the name Argiroupoli. Because of its location, the village played an important role during 19th century revolutions. Many times, Cretan revolutionaries, who lived here, denounced the sultan and voted for unification. In 1867, Argiroupoli was the seat of the Cretans’ general assembly, which, in 1878, voted for the unification of Crete and the rest of Greece and abolished the sultan’s rule. Then, the revolutionaries pulled the grandiose administrative manor down, which had been built in Argiroupoli by the Turks.
Sources:
Prefectural Committee for the Promotion of Tourism
Municipality of Lappa
