Listed 18 sub titles with search on: Information about the place for wider area of: "AGIA VARVARA Municipality HERAKLIO" .
AGIA VARVARA (Municipality) HERAKLIO
This municipality is located in the centre of the Heraklion prefecture,
and according to some, in the centre of Crete. It is surrounded by 8 different
municipalities: to the north, Gorgolaini, Tetrachoriou and Temenos; to the east,
those of Nikos Kazantzakis and Asteroussia; those of Kofinas and Gortys to the
south and finally, to the west, the municipality of Rouva. This municipality includes
seven of the former communities: Aghia Varvara, Aghios Thomas, Moulia, Douli,
Larani, Megali Vrisi and Prinias. The municipality covers a surface of about 10.000
ha., from Malevizi to Monofatsi and the Kenourio province; it has over 5.000 inhabitants.
Geographically, the municipality lies at the foot of the Psiloritis mountain,
at 530 m above sea level, and is one of the main thoroughfares leading up the
mountain. It forms part of the mountainous landscape of the island.
The main sources of production are agriculture (olive trees and vineyards)
and cattle raising (sheep). Other activities in the region are the following:
olive oil production, cheese and dairy production, distillation of "tsikoudia"
or "raki", as well as commercial activities and public services.
Aghia Varvara is the chief town (seat) of the municipality with the
same name. It has a population of more than 2.000 inhabitants and is 30 km away
from the city of Heraklion, by the road that leads from Heraklion to Aghia Varvara,
Moires and Phaistos, one of the main highways crossing the island from north to
south.
Municipality Tel.: +3 0894 23741 & 23742
Fax: +3 0894 23743
Historical Background
The municipality has a rich archaeological and cultural past. The
ancient city of Rizinia was located on a conspicuous height (686 m) near the settlement
of Prinias. This height, also known as 'Patela of Prinias', is only accessible
from the west.
The panoramic view extends as far as the island of Dia in the Cretan
sea to the north, and to the Paximadi island to the south, in the Lybian sea.
It was the Italian School of Archaeology that excavated in 1906-1908 the ruins
of ancient Rizinia, a city of importance from Post-Minoan to Hellenistic times
(1600 to 67 BC). Its most notable monuments belong to the Classic period of the
7th and 6th centuries BC.
The location was highly strategic: Rizinia lay half way between Knossos
and Gortys, the two largest cities in Crete, one to the north, the other to the
south, and from the Patela height, the town commanded a large area. The ruins
of an imposing Hellenistic castle have been found (330-70BC), built from stones
cut out of more ancient buildings and tombs. Some of the stones bear inscriptions
and are incised with different shapes: on one there is a female figure wearing
a long chiton, holding a spindle and with a half-filled distaff on the lower part.
On another, a warrior, with helmet, shield and lance. These stones come from a
burial site belonging to the first Hellenistic period. A great number of sherds,
votive clay objects and figurines have been found among the ruins of ancient Rizinia,
as well as the remnants of two temples. One of them, to the east of the site,
was dedicated to the goddess Rhea and from the charred bones that were excavated,
it seems obvious that animal sacrifices were held there. Many sculptures in porous
stone were found in and around the temple, and are now in the Archaeological Museum
of Heraklion. Close by, the cemetery was excavated, bringing to light interesting
objects found in the tombs.
According to many archaeologists, the ancient town of Panona was located
not far off, where the village of Aghios Thomas now stands. Around the village
there are many caves, cisterns and a beautiful wine-press, all cut out of the
rock.
The Sights
A visit to the municipality of Aghia Varvara is indispensable for
those who want to get to know Crete, especially the hinterland. There are many
sites of interest for the visitor.
Archaeological Sites
Ancient Rizinia and the cemetery at Prinias. Tombs carved out of the
rock and the wine-press at Aghios Thomas.
Natural Sites
The valley of Prinias, the Perdikokorifi at Prinias, the Acropolis
at Rizinia, the unique "forest" of oleanders in Crete, and the drive
from Moni Kardiotissa to Aghios Antonios in the Aghios Thomas area.
The height of Taga with the Aeolian park, between Aghia Varvara and
Moulia, and the hill at Anemomilos.
Churches and Chapels
The churches of Aghios Ioasaf, Spiliotissa, Kardiotissa, Aghios Antonios
in Aghios Thomas.
Byzantine churches of Profitis Ilias, Aghios Giorgos in Aghia Varvara
and Aghios Ioannis in Megali Vrisi, and the old monastery of Aghia Pelagia. The
church of Zoodochos Pigi in Ano Moulia, those of Armiri and Aghia Anna in Megali
Vrisi, and the church of Aghios Nikolaos in Douli. The municipality of Aghia Varvara
has a unique richness in flora and fauna, of great interest and beauty.
Communications
The municipality has good paved roads linking all the villages to
each other and making access easy to all the sites.
There is a bus service from Heraklion to all the villages in the municipality,
leaving every half hour from the square Machis Kritis at the Chanioporta in Heraklion.
This text is cited September 2004 from the Interkriti URL below, which contains images.
AGIA VARVARA (Village) MONOFATSIO
This unimposing town is the crossroads for various excursions. Agia
Varvara 30km southwest of Iraklion, is located at important crossroads to the
Mesara Plain and south of the Psiloritis Mountains towards Rethimnon. The excursions
from Iraklion towards the important archaeological sites of Mesara go through
Agia Varvara. The resorts towns of Matala and Agia Galini that can be used as
the basis for excursions in Mesara are to the west of Agia Varvara (Agia Varvara
- Agii Deka - Mires - Matala or Agia Varvara - Agii Deka - Mires - Timbaki - Agia
Galini).
This text is cited Feb 2003 from the Crete TOURnet URL below, which contains image.
AGIOS THOMAS (Village) AGIA VARVARA
Agios Thomas is 30km southwest of Iraklion on the road Iraklion -
Venerato - Agios Thomas. Agios Thomas is believed to be the location of the ancient
Greek city Pannona. Several remains have been found in the area. In addition,
there are several interesting Byzantine churches nearby. This small village is
between Psiloritis and the Dikte Mountains of Lassithi. It separates the Mesara
Plain from the north. During the Venetian era it was a large town that the Turks
destroyed in 1821 and 1866. Archaeologists discovered ancient Roman tombs, cisterns,
and early Greek writing in the area. The area of Agios Thomas was reputed to have
had 38 churches in the past.
This text is cited Feb 2003 from the Crete TOURnet URL below, which contains image.
ANO MOULIA (Village) AGIA VARVARA
The village of Ano Moulia is 32km south of Iraklion on the Iraklion
- Agia Varvara - Ano Moulia - Agii Deka road and has the Byzantine church of Agii
Apostoli.
Various WebPages
Prinias is 35km southwest of Iraklion on the Iraklion - Agios Miron
- Kato Asites - Prinias road. The area of Prinias contains Minoan and Greek era
remains.
PANNONA (Ancient city) AGIA VARVARA
A town in the interior of Crete, S. of Cnossus, retaining the name of Panon.
RIZINIA (Ancient city) AGIA VARVARA
ANO MOULIA (Village) AGIA VARVARA
RIZINIA (Ancient city) AGIA VARVARA
A modern village near the site of an ancient city in central Crete.
The "patela" is a fiat-topped steep-sided acropolis (686 m) just N of
the main watershed and dominating the two main N-S passes across the E foothills
of Ida. Accessible only from the W, it had a mainly unfortified perimeter and
measures ca. 230 x 560 m. The site has generally been identified with Rhizenia/Rhittenia
(see Guarducci), but a plausible case has been made for Apollonia (Faure); either
way it was probably normally subject to Gortyn in Classical and Hellenistic times.
The excavations date to 1906-8 and since 1969.
Apart from a few Neolithic finds the earliest traces of occupation
are of the latest Minoan period (LM III); evidence of early post-Minoan occupation
has recently been increased by discovery at nearby Siderospilia of Proto-Geometric
tholos tombs with inhumations and a Geometric cremation cemetery. Also of these
periods is an important deposit of votive terracottas and vases found near the
E edge of the plateau, including types with antecedents of the end of the Minoan
period (female figures with cylindrical skirt and raised arms, sometimes with
snakes; tall clay tubes with vertical rows of loop handles). A small enclosure
found nearby against the rock formed the sanctuary of this snake-goddess, whose
cult seems to last from Subminoan to late archaic times.
The site's most important remains are of the archaic period. Roughly
in the middle of the plateau are the poorly preserved remains, close together,
of two 7th c. temples. The more northerly (A: 9.7 x ca. 6 m) has a nearly rectangular
elongated cella entered through a single door from a pronaos to the E with a single
central square pier in antis. In the center of the cella is a slab-lined rectangular
sacrificial pit on hearth, on each side of which stood a single (probably wooden)
column on the central longitudinal axis. Many pieces were found of the limestone
frieze (originally situated on the facade or at socle level) carved with horsemen
in relief, and of two (later?) female statues each seated on a chair on the end
of a sculpted architrave, probably from the upper part of the cella door (reconstr.
in Iraklion Mus.): major works of Daedalic art. Temple B to the S was built in
a similar technique but with dissimilar and less regular plan (ca. 18 x ca. 5.5
m); it had an opithodomos in addition, full of storage vessels, and both cella
and pronaos had a central door on the E. Like A the cella had a hearth with an
offering table at its W end, and a libation basin in the NW corner. Like the somewhat
earlier Dreros temple (q.v.), these temples represent an early type deriving from
the Mycenaean meganon with certain Minoan features added; the architectural order
is not yet cleanly defined. The cult seems not to have outlasted the archaic period.
A number of archaic house foundations have been found on the plateau.
At its SW side, W of the temples, is a rectangular Hellenistic (probably 2d c.)
fort, with square towers projecting from the corners, interior dimensions 40 x
36 m and entrance on the cliff edge at the SE corner. Reused in its walls were
blocks bearing early inscriptions and primitive (7th c.) funerary stelai incised
with a hoplite or female figure. Inside and round the fort were found many arrowheads
and other iron weapons, and sling-bullets of lead.
Inscribed sherds (2d c.) attest a cult of Athena. No coins have been
found at the site, which seems to have been gradually depopulated in the Hellenistic
period and has little sign of city life after the 2d c. B.C. If the site was Apollonia,
settlement probably largely moved to its port (of the same name) near modern Gazi,
just W of Iraklion.
D. J. Blackman, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Nov 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains 1 image(s), bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
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