Agios Stefanos, Crete
The village's previous name was Gras or Greas mentioned by Piero Castrofilaca, the Venetian accountant of Crete in 1583. Castrofilaca recorded in Gras 305 inhabitants that time. The wall is still visible today lay on the north side of the village. The wall standing was part of a larger Venetian fortification build around 1600. It stands on earlier fortifications probably of Byzantine or Saracen origin. Many local surnames today have Venetian roots and that it this increases the possibility that Agios Stefanos was the center of the local government and garrison once. The old name of Agios Stefanos, Grea also indicates a Latin origin (Grea is a North Italian surname). Further north from Agios Stefanos village they are ruins from Venetian built terraces for vineyards, olive groves and other crops. Agios Stefanos today produces around 300tons of olive oil. Sir Arthur Evans passed from the area in 1898 and mentioned the standing walls from a fortress in his diary.
The village was the birthplace of Anagnostis Funtalides a Cretan MP in 1879. He and another villager, Emmanuel Kamenakis were the leaders of the 1866 revolution in Sitia against the Ottomans. In Agios Stefanos was also the birthplace of Fundalides son Emmanuel, also an MP in late 19th century.
References
- ^ "Αποτελέσματα Απογραφής Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2021, Μόνιμος Πληθυσμός κατά οικισμό" [Results of the 2021 Population - Housing Census, Permanent population by settlement] (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority. 29 March 2024.
- ^ "EETAA local government changes". Retrieved 26 June 2020.