Agia Triada, Siteia

Agia Triada (officially Agia Trias) is a village and the seat of the homonymous community in the municipality of Siteia in the regional unit of Lasithi, in eastern Crete. According to the 2011 census, it has 77 inhabitants. It is built at an altitude of 460 meters, 34 kilometers south of Siteia. It is about eight kilometers from the Libyan Sea. The village’s economy is based on agriculture and fishing.

History

Traces of habitation from the Minoan era have been found in the wider area of the village. Pottery from the Late Neolithic – Proto-Minoan period has been found in the PetroKopio location. A settlement of the Minoan period as well as vaulted tombs have been found in Stalos. The Alogara cave in Livari was used as a residence during the Minoan era.

The oldest name of the village was Tso, of unknown etymology. The village is not mentioned in the Venetian censuses, while no mention of the toponym has been found in notarial deeds of the Venetian era. Emmanouil Angelakis suggested in his work Sitia that the village was destroyed by pirates in 1471 and repopulated in the 16th or 17th century. It is first mentioned in the Egyptian census of 1834, as Tzo with 25 Christian families. In the census of 1881 it is mentioned as Tso with 158 Christian inhabitants and belonged to the municipality of Hantra. The village was renamed Agia Triada in 1920, when it became the seat of an agricultural municipality. The new name of the village is due to the village’s cathedral.

Settlement: Key Points

Historical References: The area has been inhabited since Minoan times. The village was formerly known as Tso and was renamed Agia Triada in 1920.
Location: Located in eastern Crete, in the municipality of Siteia.
Historical Significance: The village has a long history, with evidence of habitation dating back to the Minoan era.
Population Data: