Kato Malaki

One of the most important and well known castles of this period is that of Monopari, near the village Valsamonero, some 17 kilometres far from Rethymnon to the South, on the way to Spili and Agia Galini .

As an old Venetian settlement, Monopari is mentioned in all the 16th and 17th century censuses. centuries. Its name is derived from the nearby Venetian fortress of Bonriparo or Belriparo, which was known locally as Monopari.

 

The fortress itself was founded or renovated in 1206 by the Genoan pirate leader Enrico Pescatore. In 1217 Pietro Filicanevo, castellan of the time, stole horses and other livestock from a Cretan noble named I. Skordilis. When the castellan ignored an order from the duke to return what he had stolen, Skordilis took even more than he had lost, thus provoking the Sivrites revolt (1217-1236).

E. Lambrinakis refers to Monopari as having been the castle of the Melissinos family, built in 1185 on a precipitous outcrop over the ruins of ancient Ionia. At an altitude of 800ft, it had a long Byzantine wall, three high towers and a marble gateway. There were no walls to the East and South, since these sides were protected by a precipice. Ruins of the wall and towers are still visible from the path leading to the entrance. The fortress affords a panoramic view over almost all of Rethymnon prefecture, Georgioupolis and the Cape of Chania (Akrotiri).