Ano Malakion, Rethymno

Ano Malaki is a village located in the Municipality of Rethymno, Crete, at an altitude of 420 meters. It is the seat of the homonymous community, which also includes the settlement of Kato Malaki.

Geography and Sights

The village is situated approximately 20 kilometers southwest of the city of Rethymno.

A significant landmark in Ano Malaki is a 17th-century Venetian building complex known locally as the “Tower of Syggelos”. This structure is a notable example of Venetian rural feudal architecture and has been declared a historical monument. It consists of a three-story rectangular tower and a two-story building which contains a well-preserved old-style olive press on the ground floor. A rock-carved wine press from the same period is located in the immediate vicinity.

The building of the former primary school has also been designated as a monument. It is considered a characteristic example of architecture for a specific function (educational building) and is valued for its connection to the local history and memory of the area’s residents.

History and Toponyms

The village, along with Kato Malaki, is mentioned in Venetian censuses of the 16th and 17th centuries. Local tradition holds that Ano Malaki was founded by the inhabitants of a former village called Archontika, which was located slightly uphill from the current village. The name “Archontika” is said to derive from the wealth of its inhabitants, who lived like lords (archontes). The arrival of the Ottomans is believed to have contributed to the abandonment of Archontika. The oldest families in Ano Malaki include the Paterakis, Nikolidakis, Bernidakis, and Kalaitzakis families.

Several local toponyms are linked to legends:

• Potamia: A small plateau with abundant water sources forming small streams. According to one tradition, a bride on horseback slipped and drowned in one of the streams, giving the place the name “Tis Nifis ta Potamia” (The Bride’s Rivers).
• Trypa ton 40 Michelidon (Cave of the 40 Michaels): A cave with stalactites and stalagmites near the old village of Archontika. Legend says that during the Ottoman invasion, the residents of Archontika hid in this cave, among them 40 men named Michalis. According to one version of the story, the Ottomans found and killed an old woman who couldn’t find the cave entrance, disguised one of their own in her clothes, and tricked the hidden men into revealing themselves, leading to their slaughter.

Churches and Religious Monuments

The area contains several religious sites of historical interest.

• Church of Agia Triada (Holy Trinity): The main village church. Tradition tells of a shepherd who repeatedly saw a light outside a small, older chapel. Investigating, he found an icon, possibly of the Holy Trinity, among the bushes, which he placed inside the chapel. The current, larger church was built later, enclosing the original small chapel, which was eventually demolished.
• Agios Georgios Methystis (Saint George the Intoxicator): A Byzantine-era chapel dating to around 1000 AD. It holds its feast day on November 3rd, which coincides with the local celebration for the opening of the new wine barrels, an event marked by traditional food and music.
• Agia Marina: A very old church where remnants of frescoes are still visible, though most were covered with plaster in the past.
• Early Christian Basilica: The ruins of a two-aisled basilica, likely from the first Byzantine period, are located in a rural area of Ano Malaki. The site was excavated in 1954 by the then Ephor of Byzantine Antiquities of Crete, Konstantinos D. Kalokyris, but information about the findings is scarce. The ruins are now largely overgrown.
• Panagies Monastery: Near Archontika, there are ruins of a Byzantine coenobitic monastery known as “oi Panagies”.

The artist Stelios Foustalierakis was from Ano Malaki.

Settlement: Key Points

• Location: 20 km southwest of Rethymno, Crete, at an altitude of 420 meters.
• Historical References: Mentioned in Venetian censuses of the 16th and 17th centuries. Tradition links its founding to the inhabitants of the older settlement of Archontika.
• Historical Significance: Features the “Tower of Syggelos,” a 17th-century Venetian feudal villa, and the ruins of an early Christian basilica excavated in 1954.
• Current Status: It is the seat of the Community of Malakia within the Municipal Unit of Nikiforos Fokas, in the Municipality of Rethymno.
• Population Data:
  

References

• Wikipedia
• e-storieskritis.gr
• ellinismos.gr