Achlada, Crete

View of the village

Achlada (inhabitants 119 in 2001) is a village in the Cretan municipality of Malevizi, and belongs to the municipal unit of Gazi, in Heraklion regional unit.

The inhabitants are shepherds and farmers who cultivate mostly fruits and vegetables in the surrounding hills and landscape, which are few kilometres from the sea shore. In the village is the church of Saint John the Prodrome and Saint Triphon with a wooden carved iconostasis. There is also the old elementary school that serves nowadays as a feast hall, and a newly built hotel on ecotourism that enhances rural cultural tourism. In recent years, local people, politicians and other interested parties have been discussing the restoration of parts of the village.

Community of Achlada

The community of Achlada consists of the following seven settlements whose total population is 1,080 inhabitants, based on the 2001 census.

• Achlada – the district’s seat.
• Agia Pelagia
• Ammoudi
• Lygaria
• Mades
• Monofatsis
• Xirokampos

History

The origin of the name is from the tree (αχλάδα ή αχράς – wild pear tree). In the Venetian archives the village is mentioned as Aclada with 63 inhabitants, at which time it belonged to the Mylopotamos region. Achlada used to belong, as a feudal estate, to the brothers Giorgios and Franciscos Mondinos having 35 houses and 2 churches (Gerola Monumenti veneti, III.).

Sources

• Heraklion and its Prefecture, Heraklion Prefecture’s Edition (Το Ηράκλειο και ο Νομός του. Έκδοση Νομαρχίας Ηρακλείου).
• ΜΝΗΜΕΙΑ & ΙΣΤΟΡΙΚΕΣ ΑΝΑΦΟΡΕΣ ΣΤΟ ΔΗΜΟ ΓΑΖΙΟΥ (ΠΟΛΙΤΙΣΤΙΚΟΣ ΣΥΛΛΟΓΟΣ ΦΟΔΕΛΕ 2001).
• Το Μαλέβιζι, από τα προΐστορικά χρόνια μέχρι σήμερα. ΟΡΓΑΝΙΣΜΟΣ ΑΝΑΠΤΥΞΗΣ ΜΑΛΕΒΙΖΙΟΥ (ΟΡ.Α.ΜΑ) 1998.

External links

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