Kamariotis Village
Distance | 30 km. away from Heraklion |
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It is a very picturesque small village on an altitude of 620 m. in a distance of 30 km. away from Heraklion. It is en route to Anoyia village, turning right the junction before Sisarha village. It was becoming a less and less populated village, but in the last years more and more of its native inhabitants are coming back to live there permanently. Its beautiful stone built houses are more and more refurbished and the village comes back alive. Worth seeing in the village center is the 16th c. AD church of St. George. It is arched roofed, and consists of three aisles. According to a legend its old bell was made of gold and produced a very loud ringing that people could hear miles away!! Just above its main gate one can see the St. Mark’s Lion of Venice, while in the central aisle stands a stone double headed eagle, the coats of arms of the renowned Byzantine Kallergi family. By the village end, one can see the 14th c. AD church of Panayia, (Madonna), which still preserves some of its Byzantine frescoes.
In the main square, you can see an Ottoman Period fountain, and the facilities for cooking and producing ‘raki’ during festival days. There are plenty of hiking paths in the area, such as west towards Tripiti, where huge rocks weather eroded create a number of labyrinths… But also north towards the woods of carob trees and oaks.