Myriokefala

Myriokefala ( Greek Μυριοκέφαλα [ mirjɔˈkʲɛfala ] ( n. Pl. )) Is a village in the municipality of Lappa in the municipality of Rethymno on the Greek Mediterranean island of Crete .

location

Myriokefala is located about 20 kilometers southwest of Rethymno on the northern foothills of the Kakaves (Κακάβες) at an altitude of 500 meters. The village of Maroulou (Μαρουλού) is also part of the locality, it is about 1.5 kilometers north. The closest places are Asi Gonia about 2.7 kilometers northwest and Argyroupoli 5 kilometers northeast.

history

The name Myriokefala is derived from the numerous hills in the area. The village was first mentioned in writing in 1577 during the Venetian period by Francesco Barozzi as Myrio Chiefala , according to Pietro Castrofilaca from 1583, Miriochiefala had 99 inhabitants. According to the census during the Ottoman rule , the village was predominantly inhabited by Orthodox Christians; a purely Christian population is given for 1881.

The rural community Myriokefala (Κοινότητα Μυριοκεφάλων Kinotita Myriokefalon ) was founded in 1931 with the spin-off of the two villages Myriokefala and Maroulou from the then rural community Arolithios . It lasted until the implementation of the municipal reform under the Kapodistrias program in 1997. Together with five other rural communities, the merger took place to form the municipality of Lappa (Δήμος Λαππαίων). This in turn became part of the administrative reform in 2010 in the municipality of Rethymno , where Myriokefala has since then had the status of a locality (Τοπική Κοινότητα Topiki Kinotita ).

Population development of Myriokefala

Surname	1913	1920	1928	1940	1951	1961	1971	1981	1991	2001	2011
Myriokefala	315	267	251	297	325	324	285	266	281	402	268
Maroulou	-	113	91	88	86	69	63	76	59	55	41
total	315	380	342	385	411	393	348	342	340	457	309

Attractions

In the middle of the village stands the Panagia Andifonitria monastery (Μονή Παναγίας Αντιφωνήτριας, the prohibitor '), an important pilgrimage destination in the region to this day . The cross-domed church , which has undergone major changes up to the 20th century , was founded by Ioannis o Xenos around the year 1000 . The square central building is extended to the west to form a two- yoke Latin cross . The chancel (the Bema ), which is three steps higher, is illuminated by a row of arched windows. The lighting effect inside is supported by the four drum windows .
The older frescoes from the beginning of the 11th century can be found mainly in the dome (the Pantocrator surrounded by angels and prophets ) and in the southern arm of the cross (the evangelists Matthew and Mark with the Gospels open ). The second layer of frescoes is from the end of the 12th century. Church fathers celebrate the liturgy in the lower part of the apse of the chancel . Four scenes from the Passion are depicted in the western arm of the cross : the betrayal of Judas , entry into Jerusalem, the lamentation of Christ and the descent into hell . The style of the wall paintings is, on the one hand, typical of the art of the Komnen period, which was influenced by Constantinople (strong outlines and clear lines give the facial features slightly abstracted ), on the other hand, the emotional expression in many faces of the Passion story points to that which developed independently in the 13th century Cretan school .

Panagia monastery
Dome fresco: Pantocrator enthroned
Lamentation of Christ

Others

The public buses of the KTEL network operate two connections between Myriokefala and Rethymno every day except on weekends.

literature

Klaus Gallas, Klaus Wessel, Manolis Bourboudakis: Byzantine Crete . Hirmer Verlag Munich 1983, pp. 83, 91-93, 258-261, ISBN 3-7774-3240-7 .

Individual evidence

↑ National Statistical Service of Greece (ΕΣΥΕ) according to the 2001 census , p. 125 (PDF, 793 kB)

↑ ^a ^b Results of the 2011 census at the National Statistical Service of Greece (ΕΛ.ΣΤΑΤ) ( Memento from June 27, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) (Excel document, 2.6 MB)

↑ Μυριοκέφαλα, Digital Crete (Greek)

↑ Population of Myriokefala 1913-2001, Greek Statistical Office ELSTAT, Digital Library (Greek)

↑ Μονή Παναγίας Αντιφωνήτριας, Οδυσσέας portal, Greek Ministry of Culture and Tourism (Greek)

↑ KTEL Chania-Rethymno (ΚΤΕΛ Χανίων-Ρεθύμνου) ( Memento of the original from March 21, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2

Web links

Commons : Moni Myriokefalon - collection of images, videos and audio files

[ESYE2001-1] National Statistical Service of Greece (ΕΣΥΕ) according to the 2001 census , p. 125 (PDF, 793 kB)

[VZ2011-2] Results of the 2011 census at the National Statistical Service of Greece (ΕΛ.ΣΤΑΤ) ( Memento from June 27, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) (Excel document, 2.6 MB)

[3] Μυριοκέφαλα, Digital Crete (Greek)

[4] Population of Myriokefala 1913-2001, Greek Statistical Office ELSTAT, Digital Library (Greek)

[5] Μονή Παναγίας Αντιφωνήτριας, Οδυσσέας portal, Greek Ministry of Culture and Tourism (Greek)