Epano Archanes (or Apano Archanes, often referred to simply as
Archanes) is a town in the province of Temenos with 5,409
inhabitants in 2011, at an altitude of 400 m. It is connected to
Heraklion by a road, 16 km long. Archanes is a municipal district of
the Municipality of Archanes - Asterousia, which is the historic
seat.
In the area of Archanes, the springs of Asomatos,
Xeris Karas, Vathipetro and Karnari back on the western remote side
of Yukhta are remarkable. The valley and the whole area of
Archanes is for the most part a vast vineyard of vines and beds,
which produce the famous sultana grapes. The main products of
Archanes are raisins - sultanas, wine of excellent quality from
various varieties (locals: kotsifali, handkerchief, liatiko, vilana
and other newly imported and also excellent quality olive oil. Also,
aromatic plants are cultivated: dittany, thyme, thyme. PPC
underground wiring was laid.
To the west of Archanes is Mount
Yukhtas (Mount Zeus) which from the side of the sea, looks like a
human head lying down, that is, it is an anthropomorphic mountain
and on the north side of which a Minoan cemetery was found.
The place name Archanes seems to be a newer
type of the ancient city of Acharna, where there was a mosque in
honor of the god Archos (or hero), who was honored by the Knossos
and Tylisios, according to an inscription found in Argos and dates
back to 450 BC. The existence of an ancient city at the site of
today's Acharnes is confirmed by excavations carried out in 1957,
1964 and subsequent years. Inside the town was discovered a palace
of the Late Minoan Era with bicameral altars and mural decoration
(Cretan Chron. ΙΑ΄, 329, ΙΗΔ, 282). Also, in the place of Fourni, an
extensive Minoan necropolis was found and in a king's tomb were
found valuable gifts, rings, seals and more. All this certifies the
existence of a great Minoan city in the area of today's Archanes.
The earliest mention of the name of the settlement is in a
contract of 1271: Leonardus Blanco habitator in casali Pano Archani,
Albertus de vito habitator in Pano Archanne (A. Lombardo, Docymenti
della colonia Veneziana di Creta, Torino, p. 120-162). At that time
they consist of individual districts: Arcanes Petrea with 151
inhabitants and Arcanes Abramochori with 361 inhabitants in 1583
(Kastrofylakas, K 101).
The town has beautiful buildings from
the era of Ottoman rule, the most beautiful of which was that of
Mustafa Nailis Pasha, with fountains and gardens. On the north side
of the valley is the gorge Paradisi. The Turks called it Akar Sular
Dag (mountain of running waters). Within the same gorge is a spring
whose waters were channeled in 1628 by Morosini to Heraklion. The
spring was drained today due to drilling in the area.
In the
last period of Ottoman rule, the town of Archanes became a target of
the Turks, because it was a bastion and camp of the Christians. In
1897 a pan-Cretan assembly was held in Archanes. Bloody battles took
place in the area. The battalion of elite Cretans led by Ioannis
Dafotis with the help of the inhabitants repulsed the hordes of
Turks, saving the town.
In the area
of Archanes there are old temples, such as the Holy Trinity,
vaulted at the beginning of the 14th century with interesting
frescoes of the Ascension, the Nativity of the Virgin and also the
vaulted Agia Paraskevi of the same period. There is also the vaulted
church of Asomatos with frescoes of 1315, including the portrait of
the owner Michael Patsidiotis with his wife. In the area of the
church are preserved the ruins of the settlement, which is mentioned
in 1583 with 26 inhabitants.
Four kilometers south of
Archanes is the abandoned settlement of Vathipetro. In excavations
carried out in 1949 by the Archaeologist Spyridon Marinatos, wine
and ceramics production facilities have been found that were part of
a Minoan settlement. The wine press in Vathipetro is one of the
oldest in the world.
In the area of Archana there are old churches, such as Agia Triada, arched from the beginning of the 14th century with interesting frescoes of the Ascension, the Birth of the Virgin and the also arched Agia Paraskevi from the same period. There is also the vaulted church of Asomatos with frescoes from 1315, including the portrait of the founder Michael Patsidiotis with his wife. In the area of the church, the ruins of the settlement are preserved, which was mentioned in 1583 with 26 inhabitants.
It was officially mentioned as a settlement in 1925 in Official Gazette 27A - 31/01/1925 to be designated as the seat of the community of the same name. In 2010, with Official Gazette 87A - 07/06/2010, the seat of the municipality of Archanos-Asterousia was designated. According to the plan of Kallikrates and its modification by Cleisthenes I, along with the settlements of Vathypetro and Karnari, they form the community of Archana which is part of the municipal unit of Archana of the Municipality of Archana - Asterousia and according to the 2011 census it has a population of 3,969 inhabitants.
Epano Archanes are located at an altitude of 400 meters at the northeastern end of the valley formed by Mount Iuchtas. They had a population of 3,969 inhabitants in 2011. They are 16 kilometers from the center of Heraklion. At the top of Youchta is the small church of Afentis Christos, as the locals call it, which was founded in 1443. It is a four-martyr church dedicated to the Transfiguration of Christ, the Holy Belt, the Holy Apostles and the Holy Anargyros. Every year on August 6, a festival is held, which gathers a large number of visitors. On the northwest side of Archana is the Minoan necropolis of Fourni.
In Archanes, there are two primary schools and the same number of kindergartens, a high school, a high school, a community center, a justice of the peace, a regional clinic, an educational club with a remarkable activity and a library, a cultural and naturalistic club called "Haravgi", a sports club called "Yuchtas", Touring Club and Agricultural Cooperative.