Upload your photos for Metochi Sotiros and share them with us! Press here.
Address:
Telephone:
Places near Metochi Sotiros
At a mountainous, precipitous site, in the west mountain slopes of Dikti, at an altitude of 550 m, at 2 km from the village Malles, is built the village Christos.
According to the tradition, its first settlers would see every night at the spot where the village now stands a light, they went there, discovered an icon of the Christ hidden in the bushes, they settled there and named the village Christos (Christ).
To its every visitor, the village causes feelings of admiration about how man, armed with his faith in God, can live, prosper, take roots in a place which is almost hanging in mid-air.
It is a beautiful, verdurous village, with many running waters, traditional, unchanged by time, with narrow sloping cobbled alleys, most of the residents of which have “emigrated” to Xerokampos of Ierapetra, working in early vegetables.
Today’s settlement of Christos is old, possibly from the 11th century. The church of the Transfiguration of the Savior, in the south of the village, dating from the 18th century, was founded on an older little Byzantine church. There is also evidence of the ancient inhabitation of ancient Malla above the little church of Saint Paraskevi. There are inscriptions from ancient Malla, buildings, mosaics, ancient tombs, grave goods and offerings, coins that represent Zeus, the Labyrinth, the eagle and the word MAL.
A peak sanctuary, the temple of a goddess or god, an acropolis or a fortress of ancient Malla, the site above Saint Paraskevi of Christos is one of the most beautiful places in Crete. The picturesque little church, the sources with clear, icy waters, the square with the tavern, the gigantic planes compose a paradise on earth.
The tour in the landscapes of Christos is breath-taking. The cliffs, the gorges, the narrow pass through the rocks, the huge rocks, the karst landscapes reflect the violent changes of the geological formation of the Cretan landscape.
The plateau of Selekanos also belongs to the Local Department of Christos.
It is a valley of fairy tale beauty, with the largest uninterrupted pine forest of Crete, the church of Saint Eustace and the Panagia (Our Lady) Selakaniotissa, Stella’s coffee house and the private events hall of the cultural association of Selakanos and the luxurious stone-built mansions of the residents of Christos who invest and spend there their whole summer. The gorge of Selakanos is also famous, and so are the routes to the peaks Afentis and Lazaros of Dikti. The Selakanos green beans are also renowned, served with wild goat.
The settlement of Christos, the surrounding area and the plateau of Selakanos present an exceptional touring interest for anyone who wishes to escape from the urban routine. The natural beauties, the optical contrasts of the Cretan mountainous landscape are deified in Christos of Ierapetra.
One of the largest villages of Crete, in the north of the valley of the river Sarantapichos.
It is 28 km away from Ierapetra and 40 km away from Aghios Nikolaos, in a verdurous slope within immense olive groves, with an unlimited view to the valley of Myrtos, the Libyan Sea and the mountain peaks that surround it.
The village took its name from ancient Malla, which is speculated to have been built at the same place or somewhere nearby. Ancient Malla was a city-state, with an army and a currency of its own, which presented Zeus, the Labyrinth, the Eagle and the word MAL. It is included in the 100 cities of Crete and in the “Cretans’ Common”. A lot of archaeological findings are now in the Museum of Heraklion, in museums abroad and in private collections. The inscriptions from ancient Malla include treaties between “Malla and Lyttos”. “There shall neither be any spoliation of Malla by the Lyttos residents nor of Lyttos by the Malla residents”. Lyttos, an ancient city in the plateau of Lasithi, had often rumblings with “Malla”, probably about the ownership and use of their mountain borders.
An inscription found in 1848 contains the text of a treaty with the city Teos of Ionia. The city “Mallos” of Minor Asia is thought to have been a colony of Malla.
The city Malla is also referenced in the alliance treaty of 30 Cretan cities with the king Eumenis II of Pergamos.
The most important of the gods the residents of Malla worshipped was Zeus Monnitios and he was also venerated in the adjacent cities. One of their greatest festivities was Ypervoia.
Evidence of inhabitation during the Hellenic and Roman eras has been found.
During the Venetian rule, Malla, the seat of a feudal lord with two towers, was the largest village of Kastelania of Ierapetra. In 1583 it had 1483 residents, 5 parishes and 7 priests. In the following censuses, in 1881 it had 754 Christians and 15 Muslims. In 1951 it had 1253 residents and in 2001 499.
Malles has been visited by a lot of travelers who have written down their impressions, the most prominent of whom being the Italian GEROLA.
The Malles region also includes the abandoned village Aghios Georgios Loutra, the Holy Monastery of Exakousti, the old Monastery of Armos that was the summer seat of the bishop of “Iera” and, as it has been reported, 7 bishops have been buried there. Malles, except for their wonderful natural landscapes, the special routes for the nature lovers to the plateau of Katharos, to the source of Retiko and the surrounding mountains, has also important ecclesiastical monuments. Panagia (Our Lady) Messohoritissa, a church built in the times of the Palaiologoi dynasty, Saint Nicolas, the two-aisle church of Saint Charalambos and Afentis Christos (Our Lord the Christ), with the most beautiful temple, the work of the wood-carvers of Lasithi who specialized in church temples.
Now a large village, Malles, with a rich history, folklore, civilization and struggles in different historical periods, was visited by the national leader Eleftherios Venizelos. During the German Occupation, 18 people were executed. It nurtured many and important Fighters. It used to be a Community, a former Municipality and is now a Local Department of the Municipality of Ierapetra.
Rich in olive production, it has a cultural center, a post office, a football field and team, cultural associations, an agricultural co-op and many traditional coffee houses.
Selakano is a forested valey and a hamlet in the municipality of Ierapetra on the island of Crete, 5km far from the small village of Christos. Selakano forms one of the most important still existent eco-systems on Crete. The forest core of wild pine is also important on Mediterranean level. It is located in the northwestern territories of Ierapetra in the southeastern part of the Dikti massif, surrounded by the four highest peaks (Lazaros 2085m, Spathi 2148m, Afendis Christos 2141m, Psari Madara 2090m). In the east, there is a panoramic view of the Libyan sea, at a distance of 15km.
In the forest, there are mainly pine trees (pinus brutia), a drought tolerant species that can withstand a 6 months drought and grows in various rocks and soils. There are also kermes oaks (quercus coccifera), planes (platanus orientalis), Cretan maples (acer sempervirens), cypresses (cupressus sempervirens) and several other plant species. In the basin, where the settlements of Selakano and Mathokastana are located, there are many walnut and pear trees, vineyards and patches of field where vegetables are cultivated.
The forest is the nesting and hunting ground of many predatory birds like the hawk. It is the most productive apiculture spot in Crete, while in the past wood and resin were harvested.
You can access the area through the new asphalt road. There is no available place for accommodation, although excellent cretan cousine can be found in local tavernas and traditional cafes.
Selakano is a forested valey and a hamlet in the municipality of Ierapetra on the island of Crete, 5km far from the small village of Christos. Selakano forms one of the most important still existent eco-systems on Crete. The forest core of wild pine is also important on Mediterranean level. It is located in the northwestern territories of Ierapetra in the southeastern part of the Dikti massif, surrounded by the four highest peaks (Lazaros 2085m, Spathi 2148m, Afendis Christos 2141m, Psari Madara 2090m). In the east, there is a panoramic view of the Libyan sea, at a distance of 15km.
In the forest, there are mainly pine trees (pinus brutia), a drought tolerant species that can withstand a 6 months drought and grows in various rocks and soils. There are also kermes oaks (quercus coccifera), planes (platanus orientalis), Cretan maples (acer sempervirens), cypresses (cupressus sempervirens) and several other plant species. In the basin, where the settlements of Selakano and Mathokastana are located, there are many walnut and pear trees, vineyards and patches of field where vegetables are cultivated.
The forest is the nesting and hunting ground of many predatory birds like the hawk. It is the most productive apiculture spot in Crete, while in the past wood and resin were harvested.
You can access the area through the new asphalt road. There is no available place for accommodation, although excellent cretan cousine can be found in local tavernas and traditional cafes.
Katharo is a plateau on the east side of Dikti mountain on the island of Crete, in the prefecture of Lassithi. Administratively it belongs to the municipality of Aghios Nikolaos, (municipal division of Kritsa).
It is 16 km from Kritsa (asphalt road) and 12 km from Mesa Lassithi (rough mountain road). It is 4km long, 1.5km wide and at an average altitude of 1150m above the sea level (300 m higher than Lassithi Plateau).
On the West of the Katharo are the peaks of Spathi (2148m) and Lazaros (2085m) and on the North East and East the peaks of Tsivi (1665m) and Platia Koryfi (1485m). The waters of the Plateau drain through the Havgas gorge into the much larger but lower Plateau of Lassithi, i.e. Katharo is part of river Aposelemis drainage area.Due to its altitude the plateau is not inhabited in winter while in summer it has about 500 inhabitants mainly shepherds and a few tavernas. Katharo has a special property status and is essentially community-owned. The fertile soil of the plateau is used for production of vegetables, potatoes and fruit (grapes, pears, apples).
--------
For those who love not only mountains and luxuriant vegetation, but also stark rock, a visit to the Plateau of Katharo should not be missed. Located sixteen kilometers west of Kritsa, at a height of 1.150 meters, the plateau of 60,000 stremma stretches out and here cereals,vegetables, vineyards and fruit-trees are cultivated.Flocks of thousands of local sheep and goats generate dairy products of the highest quality. Katharo is also interesting because of the paleontological discoveries of dwarf hippopotamus and elephant fossils.
A unique cave Half way on the road from Kritsa to Katharo is "Gaidroupotripa" or "Donkey Hole". It is a remarkable geological feature with interesting fauna, and is one of the 40 explored caves in Crete.
The village of Katharo Plateau
For those who love not only mountains and luxuriant vegetation, but also stark rock, a visit to the Plateau of Katharo should not be missed. Located sixteen kilometers west of Kritsa, at a height of 1.150 meters, the plateau of 60,000 stremma stretches out and here cereals,vegetables, vineyards and fruit-trees are cultivated.Flocks of thousands of local sheep and goats generate dairy products of the highest quality. Katharo is also interesting because of the paleontological discoveries of dwarf hippopotamus and elephant fossils.
Login with
Facebook