General Information of the Municipal Unit of Platanias

Agioi Theodoroi or Thodorou, is a rocky islet in the gulf of Chania, opposite Platanias. The island is not inhabited and in antiquity it was called Akoition (= place unsuitable for residence). The Venetians named the island San Theodoro and built two fortresses there to protect the beach of Platanias. One was low and was called the Fortress of St. Francis, and the other was higher and was called the Fortress of St. Theodore or Turluru. The two fortresses had a small guard of 70 people. In 1645 the island was attacked by the Turks and he could not resist. The commander of the fortress, Biagio Giuliani, decided not to surrender and so he set fire and blew up the fortress together with his soldiers and all the Turks who had landed there.

Distance from the center of Chania: 10.6 km Elevation above sea level: 10 meters. It is the first village in the Municipal unit of Platanias to Kissamos, starts from the beach and extends uphill to the Acropolis, and is today an apartment of the Western unit of Platanias, in the province of Kydonia. We find a report about Platanias, in 1577 by Fr. Barozzi and in 1583 by Kastrofylakas, named Pirgo Platanea. There are two residential zones, Pano Platanias and Kato Platanias. In Pano Platanias (or Acropolis) during the Turkish occupation, there was a fortress (observatory), the remains of which are still preserved, and was carved into the rock. It was used by the Germans during the Occupation, who hid the cannon with which they shot the allied planes. In 1897, Platanias became the headquarters of Timoleon Vassos. In Pano Platanias there is Agios Dimitrios, a former monastery, which is the main church of the village during the winter months. Panagia Faneromeni in Kato Platanias next to the school, where the Monument of the Fallen, is the main church of the village for the summer season and is celebrated every year on the 15th of August. Agios Georgios “Methistis”, a very old church with frescoes is located in Drakiana, west of the village. It celebrates every year on November 3, when the barrels are opened and the wines are tasted. On the road to Drakiana also, there is the chapel of Agia Paraskevi, the first church we meet, while next is the church of Agios Nikolaos the Trophy Bearer, which celebrates every year after Easter (mobile holiday). Higher than Agia Paraskevi, is the church of the Transfiguration of the Savior Christ, which celebrates on August 6 and finally Agios Antonios west of the village, about 200 meters from the main road.

The German War Cemetery is located on a hill behind Maleme Airport (elevation 107), where many German paratroopers were killed in May 1941 during operations in Crete. It includes 4,465 burials. Apart from the Germans killed in Maleme, the remains of German soldiers buried in other locations in Crete were transported to the same cemetery in the 1970s. Specifically in Maleme, the remains of soldiers who were initially buried in mass graves in the NW sector of Heraklion airport, in front of the church of Galatas in Chania and in the cemetery of German paratroopers, who had fallen in Heraklion, were transported. This cemetery was located in the area of ​​Atsalenio, Heraklion, where today is the football field of the homonymous team. The cemetery in Maleme was officially inaugurated in 1974 by the German Gericke, who was one of the officers during the initial phase of the attack in Crete, on May 20, 1941. The cemetery consists of simple slabs, placed on the ground, one plate for every two men. In between, there are small stone crosses. The name of the soldier, his rank and the dates of birth and death are mentioned on the plaque. Most of the dead were under the age of 18-25 and most were killed on the first day of the attack on the island. Bruno Brauer, Commander of the Fortress of Crete, was buried in the same cemetery from September 1942 to June 1944. After the end of the war, he was tried by the Greek Military authorities as a war criminal, found guilty of seven counts and sentenced to death. He was executed on May 20, 1947, in Aegina. Respecting his last wish, his remains were transported to Maleme and buried there. In Maleme, two major commemorative events take place. The first takes place on the third Sunday in November, is organized by the German embassy and is something like a popular memorial. The second takes place on May 20 – the anniversary of the Battle of Crete – and is organized by Veteran German Paratroopers. There is no evidence of a private memorial service

Following the road to Kissamos, from the old coastal National Road, we reach Gerani, a former community of the province of Kydonia and today the capital of the Municipality of Platanias. The beautiful village is spread in the rich and fertile plain of Platanias and produces mainly oil and citrus. Tourism businesses are also a source of income, as during the summer there is a significant increase in population. There are about two thousand hotel beds in the area and all related tourism businesses. Gerani is the largest in area and population of the Municipality of Platanias with two settlements, Paleo Gerani and Loutraki. The name Paleo Gerani corresponds to Kato Gerani, the coastal part where the village was originally built before the Venetian occupation. During the years of Venetian rule, due to the fear of the inhabitants from a possible pirate invasion, Kato Gerani was deserted and Pano Gerani began to be built, and what was left was only a building that functioned as an observatory. The word “Gerani” comes from a system of pumping water from wells and was a system of pumping from the shallows, which existed about five hundred years ago in many parts of the village. Next to the wells, there was a wooden fork on which a piece of wood was placed horizontally, with one end tied with a rope and a bucket and the other end with a rope with a counterweight. In the Venetian censuses of 1577, he is referred to as Gerani. In 1867 in Gerani, a battle took place between revolutionaries and Turks, where the revolutionaries won. The villagers then begged the rebels to leave as their stay there would endanger the civilian population. They left, but retaliated. From the years of Ottoman rule comes the story of the pope – Nikola Papadogiorgakis, who asked and received permission from the pasha to build a small church in the neighborhood Kotsifiana of the village. While he was building it, the aga of Agia Marina happened to pass through there, who, ignoring the decision of his superior, ordered the killing of Pope Nicholas by hanging on the carob tree that still exists today, outside the church. The son of Pope John Papadogiorgakis, chief later, that same night killed his son Aga, left Crete, came in contact with the Friends and took part in national liberation struggles. He took refuge in Nafplio and acquired the name “Geraniotis”. In 1884 it operated in the area “Pezoulia” towards Modi, the first primary school in the region of Crete (outside large urban centers) which was then the school of Modi. The great Cretan novelist Ioannis Kondylakis taught there and which is still preserved. There is a marble inscription placed by the Philological Association of Chania “O Chrysostomos”, which informs that Ioannis Kondylakis passed through here, when he was a teacher in 1885-1886. Gerani was a training center of all the surrounding villages. The school was initially for boys only, and around 1900 it was moved to Agios Eleftherios, in Pano Gerani. At the same time, the Girl’s School was founded, which was turned into a detention center during the Battle of Crete. During the German Occupation and until 1947, it functioned as a dining area, and was finally demolished in 1970. The Cathedral of Gerani is Agios Eleftherios in Pano Gerani, an old royal church. Also in Gerani there is the church of the Annunciation of the Virgin, Byzantine style built in the decade 1930-1940, the historic chapel of Genesis of the Virgin 1700 located in the settlement Kotsifiana on the road to Loutraki, the chapel of Zoodochos Pigri in the center of the village (celebrates the first Friday after Easter.), the chapel of Agios Andreas in the place “Livadia”, and the chapel of Genesis of Ioannis the Forerunner, which is a private church in Metochi Isyhaki (celebrates every year on June 24).

The settlement of Loutraki is located 17 km from the center of Chania, turning at the 15th kilometer on the road to Gerani to Kissamos. Loutraki, mentioned in 1577 by Fr. Barozzi as Monodhavli (Monodavli) by Kastrofylakas in 1583 as Lutrachi and from Vasilikata in 1630 as Luttracha. In 1881 it refers to the Municipality of Psiloneros, in 1920 it is a community and since 1928, it refers to the community of Gerani. In Loutraki there is a remarkable Cultural Association that is housed in the building where it operated before the Primary School, also a solar power system has been installed, the only one in the area. The cathedral of the area is the church of the Assumption of the Virgin, where the cemetery of Loutraki, and also the church of Agios Andreas of the Cretan, which celebrates every year on July 4 and November 30.

The historic village of Modi is located 15 km from the center of Chania, following the left fork at the 13th kilometer of the road to Kissamos. There are two traditional cafes in Modi. In the (closed today) school building in Ano Modi, there is a folklore museum founded by the teacher and writer Theodoros Paparaftakis. In the village there is a rural doctor’s office, which operates every week with a visiting doctor. Main local products are oil and citrus fruits. Modi, is mentioned in the province of Kydonia in 1577 by Fr. Barozzi as Modhi and in 1583 by Kastrofylakas as Mulle Sarachina and Modi da Milla. In one sense, the name “Modi” comes from the Byzantine “modios-modi”, which means a container for measuring grains, such as the “muzouri” of Venetian rule. There are also ancient Cretan coins, which on one side bear the bearded Zeus and on the other the head of a bull and the word MODAION. Based on this finding, it was hypothesized that the coins belong to an ancient Cretan city, called Moda or Modaia, with a possible location in today’s Modi. This view is reinforced by findings from excavations in 1953 in the village, by the then curator of antiquities, N. Platonos. The archeological dig brought to light seven protogeometric carved tombs, vases, iron weapons, craters, compasses, skyphoi, pithos, amphorae and other treasures of Geometric Culture. The findings correspond to the 9th – 8th BC. century and are exhibited today at the Archaeological Museum of Chania. The valley formed by the alluvium of the river Platanias (Homeric Yardanos), belongs largely to Modi. Cathedral of Modio is the Holy Temple of the Transfiguration of the Savior (1909). Opposite and west, is the oldest church of the Evangelist Mark, with rare frescoes of the 16th century. There are also the Holy Temple of Prophet Elias, built on a hill (it celebrates every year on July 20) and the Holy Temple of Agios Ioannis the Hermit in the place “Vlatos”, near the river Platanias (it celebrates every year on October 7). To the north of the village of Modi on the border to Psathogianno, is the rock-built chapel of Agios Gerasimos (it celebrates on October 20), where according to tradition Agios Gerasimos lived here, who built the church. The first primary school established after the liberation from the Turkish occupation was the school of Modi, in the area “Pezoulia”. The oldest building of the school has been deemed to be preserved with the opinion of the Central Council of Modern Monuments.

It is located 16 km from the center of Chania, following the fork on the left at the 12th kilometer of the old national road, Chania – Kissamos. In Vrises, there is a rural doctor’s office which operates once a week with a visiting doctor from Gerani. There are also two cafes in the beautiful square of the village, with great archaeological and historical value. Citrus fruits and oil are the main production of the region. In the village square, we find the church of Agios Nikolaos that was built before 1900, there are also the churches of Agios Antonios and the Assumption of the Virgin. The Fountains are mentioned in the province of Kydonia by Fr. Barozzi as Vrissi. The name “Fountains” is attributed by the inhabitants to the fact that in the past there were many springs, which today due to the drilling, the reduction of rainfall and the change of soil morphology, have dried up. Between Vrises and the village of Koufos Kydonias, there is a characteristic two-peaked hill on the west bank of the river Platanias. One peak is called Kastellos and the other Agios Georgios, and archeological finds were discovered there. In Kastellos in particular, findings from the Late Minoan period were found that are on display today at the Archaeological Museum of Chania. North of the village, a Late Minoan tomb was found containing bronze objects, jewelry fragments, a wreath with a cross, double axes, a needle, collar votes, etc. In the place “Kera-Spiliotissa”, Neolithic vessels have been found, and in the place “Timios Stavros” two protogeometric tombs (1900-900 BC) According to some researchers, here was the ancient city of Pergamon. Pergamon, which according to tradition was founded by Agamemnon or Aeneas, was built on a hilltop that some others, such as Pashley, identify with the rocky hill of Platanias, others with Gribiliana and others with Vrises. At the top opposite Castellos, is built the church of Agios Georgios. The main church of the village is the old church of Agios Nikolaos, there is also the church of Agios Antonios in the center of the village, the church of the Assumption of the Virgin. In both temples, there are bones of monks slaughtered by the Turks. Outside the village there is the church of Agios Prokopios, from the Byzantine era, one of the few that have survived throughout Crete and it celebrates on the 8th of July. There is also the church of Genesis of Agios Ioannis the Forerunner, with a history of many centuries, the church of the Holy Cross, the church of Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Irene (celebrates on April 9) and the church of Agios Georgios of Divolis (witness by Alikiano of Kydonia, who was killed by the Turks and his memory is celebrated every year on February 7).

Patelari is located 16.5 km from the center of Chania, at the 12th kilometer to the left of the old national road Chania – Kissamos. Formerly, it was a settlement of the community of Vryssa, province of Kydonia and today an apartment together with the Fountains of the Municipality of Platanias. Patelari, refers to the province of Kydonia in 1577 by Fr. Barozzi as Patellari et Neoghor (i) o and by Kastrofylakas in 1583, as Patellari. It is believed that the name “Patelari” comes from the Patelaros, a large family from Rethymno, whose descendant was Neophytos Patelaros, the first metropolitan of Crete during the Turkish occupation. It is even said that from this family, come the first inhabitants of the area. Another view wants the name “Patelari” to come from a monk who in Byzantine times lived in Alikianos and was called Father Hilarios. The central church of the village is the church of Genesis of the Virgin which celebrates on September 8. There is also the church of Agios Georgios “Methistis” which celebrates on November 23 with traditional treats, and finally the church of Agios Georgios Tropaioforos, the oldest church in the village, associated with legends and traditions. The temple used to have frescoes covered with lime. Patelari, like all the villages of the Municipality of Platanias, paid a heavy blood tax during the German occupation. On June 9, 1941, several men of the village were executed, after a blockade by the Germans and just a few days after the battle of Crete.

The historic village of the Municipality of Platanias, is located 16 km west of the center of Chania on the old national road Chania – Kissamos. Maleme, a summer tourism area, acquires, as is the case with all coastal villages, faster pace of life and more traffic in summer. The village has a rich hotel infrastructure. There are many restaurants and cafes along the beach. There is a permanent rural doctor’s office in the village. There is also a pharmacy, a grocery store, a tourist shop, a kiosk and two traditional cafes. In Maleme, there is a Cultural Association and there is a hall for cultural events. Archaeological excavations at the site of Kafkales, north of Maleme in 1966, revealed a vaulted tomb from the Late Minoan III period that, despite being looted, several shells and two seal stones were found, one made of copper and the other of agate with a deer. The tomb had a corridor with built walls and a length of 13.80 meters. At the end of the corridor, there is a gate that leads to the room of the dead. This gate is built of very large stones. The lintel is a massive monolith that had been quarried, which has no design on it and is almost 1 meter in height and 1.5 meters in width. The pillars of the gate were created with large chipped stones. With a height of 2 m and a width of 1.60 m, the entrance is distinguished for its large lintel, the relief triangle and the two stone pits, where the wooden door that would cover the built dam would be supported. From the gate, we enter the vaulted room of the deceased. In the center was the dead man, inside a sarcophagus. The French archaeologist Paul Faure etymologizes the place name from the word “malama” which means gold, believing that there was a gold mine in the area. The name “Maleme” refers to the province of Kydonia, from Fr. Barozzi as Maleme. When the Turks started to leave Crete, families of Christians from Lakkos, who were from the Paraskaki family, came to Maleme and bought property in Maleme. When they came, there was no church and so they built the Church of Agios Antonios which also existed in Lakki and dedicated it to Maleme. Over the years there was a need for a larger church, so in 1918 the new church of Agios Antonios was built and the inauguration took place in 1938. Then came the war. In Maleme, the airport of Chania was built before the Second World War. In the Battle of Crete, they had a plan to occupy the airport of Maleme, and they succeeded on the second day of the Battle. Until then, their planes were hit by machine guns and cannons. That night, the British had not been able to send reserves to the Battle post at hill 107 of Vlacheronitissa and the telephone communication had been interrupted. The commander of Platanias’ English army sent a messenger to the hill to see what had happened. But he never returned. As the Germans climbed to hill 107, Crete fell. Maleme was deserted during the German Occupation, the inhabitants fled to other villages and Maleme became a prisoner of war camp. There were five to six thousand prisoners, Greeks and English behind the barbed wire. When the Germans vacated the camp, they turned the church of Agios Antonios into a warehouse for aircraft parts, which is why the church was repeatedly bombed by the British. Maleme had three other churches in the airport area. In the center of the airport was Ai Giorgis, which was demolished to make the airport. Nearby was the village cemetery and the church of Agia Marina, which the Germans demolished because it would be a target for bombing the airport, and finally there was the church of Agios Ioannis, about a hundred meters from the bridge where it was demolished for the same reason. Maleme school was bombed so it was deemed inappropriate. Under the floor, the Germans had dug a shelter. In the German cemetery of Maleme, 1 km outside the village, are the graves of the German soldiers who took part in the Battle of Crete. Maleme was characterized by a Ministerial decision as the historic seat of the Municipality of Platanias.

The village of Kontomari, is located 17.5 km from the center of Chania at the junction to the left of the old national road Chania-Kissamos. The main products of the region are oil and citrus fruits. In Kontomari there are two traditional cafes and a grocery store. The rural doctor’s office operates every week with a visiting doctor, from Maleme. Its name comes from a version of a Venetian lord of the area Conte Marino. In a Venetian building near the center of the village, there was until recently a marble inscription with the name and coat of arms of the Venetian lord, which was lost a few years ago. The municipal district of Kontomari includes the settlements: Metochi, Pyrgos, Koilada, and Xirokambi. In the center of the village, there is the church of Zoodochou Pigi. There is also the church of Agios Ioannis Prodromos in Metochi (about 1 km from the center of the village). East of the church of Zoodochos Pigi, is the main cemetery of Kontomari. Turkish, Venetian and German conquerors came to Kontomari. On June 2, 1941, the Germans executed all the men of the village, in retaliation for their mass participation in the Battle of Crete. For this reason, a monument was erected in the center of the village.

It is located 17.5 km west of the center of Chania, turning left on the old national road Chania – Kissamos. It is mentioned for the first time in the “Cretans” of Chourmouzis Byzantiou as Telimanoliana in 1842 and in the 1881 census, as Delimanoliana In 1920 it refers to the community of Kontomari, as Delimanoliana in 1940 and finally as Koilada since 1971. The population of the village reached 115 inhabitants in 1961 and since then has shown a gradual decrease.

It is located 18 km west of the center of Chania and a little south of Kontomari, at the junction to the left at 15.5 km of the old national road Chania – Kissamos. It used to be a settlement of the community of Kontomari in the province of Kydonia and today, it is a settlement of the district of Kontomari in the Municipality of Platanias, in the province of Kydonia. Xirokambi, is mentioned for the first time in the census of 1881 in the Municipality of Pyrgos Psiloneros, in 1920 it refers to the community of Loutraki and in 1928, to the community of Kontomari. The name “Xirokambi” probably has to do with the drainage of the springs that used to exist in the area. It is said that there were seven cows in the area, where they dried up, leaving only one well to the west of the village. In recent years the problem of water supply has been solved, as the water comes from Dere in winter, Kyparissos and Myloniana. The main church of the village is Agios Antonios, near it there is the old church of Agios Antonios built during the Venetian occupation, a typical transitional sample of Western Crete, small single-room, vaulted, with sides ending in gables, and is its duo of the Transfiguration of the Savior in Dere. It is possible that the two temples were built at the same time, perhaps by the same craftsmen. The western gable of the church was designed to house a bell tower, but it was destroyed over time. The church was restored by the Tax Office of Byzantine Antiquities of the Prefecture of Chania. The old church is mentioned in the inventory of churches and monasteries of 1637 as a Metochi of the Holy Monastery of Gonia, with 22 monks. The iconostasis of Agios Pantos is located shortly after Agios Antonios in a pine grove, covering an area of ​​about six acres. It seems that Xirokambi had a larger population during the years of Venetian rule. At that time there was a goldsmith and a shoemaker here. During the Turkish occupation, the Turks settled in the village of Loutraki, bought properties here.

It is located 19 km from the center of Chania, following the fork on the left at 15.5 km of the old national road Chania-Kissamos. Kyparissos, is mentioned in the province of Kydonia in 1577 as Psires and in 1583 as Psires Palamidiaco. In 1881, it is mentioned as Lice in the Municipality of Pyrgos Psiloneros and in 1920, Kyparissos is mentioned in the rural municipality of Deli Manolakis. The name “Lice” in a sense, may be associated with a small bug that lives in pure spring water. In another view, it may be related to the fact that there were many Venetians during the Venetian occupation and later many Turks, whom the Christian inhabitants called “Lice”. The current name of the village is connected with Gero-Kyparissos which is located in the precinct of the village church (Agios Georgios the Trophy Bearer), where the cemetery is. In Kyparissos there is also the church of the Prophet Elias in Maroulachiana, the church of Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Irene (private chapel that celebrates every year on April 9). Kyparissos also includes the settlement of Maroulahiana, which was created at the end of the Turkish occupation, with the descent of the people of Lakki to the area.

It is located 30 kilometers west of the center of Chania. The route from the fork on the left to 18.2 km (from Tavronitis) of the road to Kissamos leads us, through Syrili and Zounaki, to the last station inland of the Municipality of Platanias, Dere. Deres is first mentioned during the Venetian occupation by the Castle Guard in 1583, as Angusta. According to the oral tradition of the place, Augusta Theodora, wife of the Byzantine emperor Theophilos, passed from here, moving from her north to south, in order to visit Africa, and it is said that she was hosted in Dere. Her name was given to the village (Augusta) and not Angusta or Agustu, as incorrectly mentioned, in censuses and manuscripts. The name Augusta is also confirmed by a bronze ecclesiastical disk for retribution, which is kept in the village and which was a gift from George Mantonanakis in 1857, in the church of the Transfiguration of the Savior. The disk is engraved with the name “AUGUST” and in parentheses, the later name of the village (Deres), the date and the name of the donor, as well as the words “JESUS ​​SAVIOR”. The name “Deres” was given to the village by the Turks (Dere in Turkish means water stream). This word attributes the fact that the village is located on the banks of a tributary of the Tavronitis (Pnigaris river). The village is mentioned with the new and the old name in 1834, in the Egyptian census. In 1842, it is mentioned by Chourmouzis Byzantios as Teres. In 1881 as Deres in the Municipality of Pyrgos Psiloneros and Deres of Augustos, in the Municipality of Alikianos. It seems that the village, which included many settlements or katouns (cantons) and had a large area, was divided during the establishment of the municipalities into two parts. Thus in Dere (Municipality of Pyrgos Psiloneros) the settlements of Vidaliana, Bakalaoudiana, Pyrgos and Metochi Zounali were included (probably the last name corresponds to the areas of Metochi Cyril and Zounaki). In the village of Deres Agoustou, the settlements of Kordeli, Digaliana, Metochi, Daskaliana, Kamisiana, Kousougergiana, Kardamiana were included, ie the main volume of the settlements of today’s Dere. From the 1900 census, after the abolition of the municipalities, Deres is mentioned as a homonymous community (rural municipality). Today, Deres is an apartment of the Municipality of Platanias, province of Kydonia. Hassonas, a difficult and dangerous turn which owes its name to the verb I get lost because there had been several accidents, leads us to Dere. To the right of the road a path leads us to the church of Agia Paraskevi, the first of the many churches of the village, on this route. Markouliana, Manousiana, Azemiana (the name has remained since the time of Ottoman rule, because once were the houses of Azemides), are the first neighborhoods that one encounters. The adjectives also named the districts in most cases: Kamisiana, Garofaliana, Kardamiana, Papadiana. The exception is the old district of Daskaliana, elevated in the center of the village, which was so named because there was the first school of Dere and here came the young students, the “teachers”. After Agia Paraskevi and after passing the first bridge of Dere on the right, there is the iconostasis of Agios Eftychios, which was built during the Civil War. From that road, a fork leads again to Agia Paraskevi. Another fork leads to the old settlement of Karre. The settlement of Karres is probably one of the three settlements first mentioned by Kastrofylakas in 1583 as Epodes Carea, ie Pode Kares, Aposso Carea, ie Apoxo, Exo Kares, and Pera Carea, ie Pera Kares. About 70 families once lived here, but the plague epidemic of the 16th century wiped out all life and today there are only ruins. On the same road, we meet the church of Agios Ioannis Prodromos. Going down we return to the main road, where at a distance of about two hundred meters from the bridge, we meet on the right the fork that leads to the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior Christ, the cathedral of the village. West of the church there is the first old and historical church of the Transfiguration of the Savior Christ built in the 16th century, which is associated with historical events and legends. The sanctuary has a stone decorative symbol of the Venetians. For each church the symbol was different, this church is a typical transitional type, and exactly the same as the church of Agios Antonios in Xirokambi. Probably both temples were built by the same Venetian builders. A small door on the south wall of the churchyard leads to Metochi. Metochi and the church of Christ have a common history. It is said that the Turkish aga who lived in Metochi, ordered a year when the harvest was great, to store the summer fruit in the temple of Christ. His subordinate, who was called “Arab” (probably of Egyptian descent), was reluctant to carry out his boss’s orders.
That same night, the aga was beaten by two masked men who invaded Metochi while he was sleeping. The next day he ordered his servant to harness the horses to leave, and he never returned. Metochi was sold to Christians. Probably this event coincides with the end of the Turkish occupation in Crete. The servant of the aga “Arapis” remained here after the sale of Metochi, together with his wife and their daughter Nourie, whom the inhabitants of Dere and the people of Chania later remember as Ourania or Abla. Abla lived in Dere and later in Chania, in the district of Kum-Kapi. Metochi, an impressive fortress with a large inner courtyard and buildings around it, was during the xenocracy the residence of the Venetian lord and later, the Turkish aga of the area. Today, everything remains as it was then: the arches, the cobblestones of the courtyard, the old arched wall fountain, with the relief representations. The road that passes through Metochi, continues southeast (left) and leads to the also old church of Agia Aikaterini. A little further to the left, there is the fork that leads to the old church of Agios Spyridon. Returning to the main road, we will meet on the left of the road the small church, the Genesis of the Virgin. Next to the main road, there is the Hero of Dere and opposite it, an uphill branch leads to the old settlement of Daskaliana. Another fork along the main road, on the left (starting from the bridge over the river), leads to the rocky church of Agia Kyriaki, which celebrates every year on July 7. Again on the main road and on the right, there is a path that leads to the temple of Michael the Archangel. Finally, at a distance of about 1.5 km from the center of the village, the fork on the left, leads to the settlement of Papadiana. The settlement is mentioned for the first time in the 1900 census in the municipality of Lakka, in the community of Nea Roumata and since 1928, in the community of Dere. Shortly after on the downhill road, there is the old watermill, closed for years. Nearby there is the church of the Holy Trinity built during the Venetian occupation, which celebrates every year on the day after Pentecost.