Exo Mouliana, Siteia

Exo Mouliana (Έξω Μουλιανά) is a village in the municipality of Sitia, in the eastern part of the Lasithi regional unit, on the island of Crete, Greece. It is located on the road connecting Sitia with Agios Nikolaos and Heraklion. The village is built at an altitude of 380 meters.

Historical Information

The history of the village dates back to the Byzantine times. There are places in the area called Sarakina, which refers to the occupation of Crete by the Saracens in the 8th and 9th centuries. During the Venetian occupation, the village may have gotten its name from the Mouliani brothers, who gave their name to Mesa Mouliana and Exo Mouliana. Another theory, proposed by Xanthoudidis and followed by Michail Katappotis, is that the name Mouliana comes from the verb ‘myllo’ (μύλλω) – ‘mullono’ (μουλλώνω), which means ‘fall’ or ‘lean’, because the village is located on the slope of the mountain. In the Venetian censuses of the 16th century, it is referred to as San Zorzi Mouliana, due to the church of Agios Georgios (Saint George). In the 1583 census of Kastrofylakas, it had 261 inhabitants. In the Turkish census of 1671, it is referred to as Ayo Yorki Molyana, with 7 ‘haratsia’ (χαρατζιά). In the Egyptian census of 1834, it is referred to as Kato (Κάτω) or Pera Mouliana (Πέρα Μουλιανά), with 60 Christian and 8 Turkish families. In the 1881 census, it is referred to as Oxo Mouliana (Όξω Μουλιανά), with 570 Christian and 108 Muslim inhabitants. During the 1940s, it had close to 1000 inhabitants and 120 students in the elementary school, which has now been abolished and operates as a cultural and educational center.

Landmarks

The oldest Byzantine church of Agios Georgios is preserved in the village of Pano Chorio (Πάνω Χωριό), with Byzantine icons and inscriptions from the 15th century. The patron saint Agios Georgios used to give the name of the village and the inhabitants as Agiorgites (Αγιωργίτες). Venetian buildings are also preserved in Pano Chorio, which, due to their good construction, were used as a water reservoir for the village after the first drilling in the 1950s. There is also a Turkish fountain in the Gournia (Γουρνιά) location with an Arabic inscription, which has unfortunately been destroyed. There is also a Latin inscription in Agia Marina (Αγία Μαρίνα) in Kato Chorio (Κάτω Χωριό). According to the narrations of the older residents, there was a significant number of residents of Turkish origin in Exo Mouliana. In the square of the village, called Platia Strata (Πλατιά Στράτα), there was a minaret that was demolished after the Turks were killed by the Kritsotes (Κριτσώτες) warlords. The church of Agios Georgios dominates Kato Chorio.

In the area of the village, there is the area of Lachanas (Λαχανά) with the famous stone bridge. From this point, the descent to the waterfalls of Richtis (Ρίχτη) begins, through a gorge of particular natural beauty. The route takes 3 hours and ends at the waterfalls and the coast of Richtis. Visitors of the village also have access to the beach of Richtis by car.

Economy

The village has a large agricultural and livestock area that extends from Kefala (Κεφάλα) to Richtis on the northern coastline of Crete. Today, it produces an average of 250 tons of olive oil per year. In the past, it produced wine and raisins, but now only ‘raki’ (ρακί) production remains.

Settlement: Key Points

The village was first mentioned in 1583 with the name Exo Mouliana.
It is located in the municipality of Sitia, Lasithi regional unit, Crete, Greece.
Places named Sarakina refer to the Saracen occupation in the 8th and 9th centuries.
The toponym may have come from the Mouliani brothers.
Another theory suggests that the name derives from the verb ‘myllo’ – ‘mullono’ (μύλλω – μουλλώνω).
During the 1940s the village had close to 1000 inhabitants.
The current population of the village is 232 inhabitants.