Elenes, Rethymno

Elenes (Ελένες) Rethymno

Elenes is a village in the municipality of Amari, in the regional unit of Rethymno, Crete. According to the 2011 census, they have 94 inhabitants. They are 37 km southeast [1] of Rethymnon and are built at an altitude of 640 m. [2]


General and historical data

The village is mentioned by Francesco Barocci in 1577 as Selenes. In the Venetian census of 1583 by Kastrofylakas he is mentioned as Ellenes with 147 inhabitants and in the census of Vasilikata in 1630 he is mentioned as Sante Elenes. The name probably refers to the existence of temples dedicated to St. Helen. [2]

The 1834 census conducted by the Egyptians recorded 6 Christian families and 4 Turkish women living in the village. The 1881 census mentions the municipality of Merona and had 91 Christian inhabitants. In the 1900 census it had 127 inhabitants. In the 1920 census it is mentioned as part of the agricultural municipality of Gerakari. [2] In 1925, Elenes became part of the Gerakariou community, while in 1928 they are reported to be a settlement of 124 inhabitants, who were engaged in agricultural work.

In 1935 the village was designated the seat of its own community in the province of Amari until the Kapodistrian administrative division, when it was annexed to the Municipality of Sivritos. [4] Since 2011 it belongs to the municipality of Amari.

Historical development of the population
Census 1900 1920 1928 1940 1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 1991 2001 2011
Population [2] 127 115 124 134 158 111 78 75 74 [1] 91 94
Population development

Sights

The church of Agios Nikolaos.

In the village is the two-aisled church of Agios Nikolaos, with frescoes in its northern aisle. Ioannis Spatharakis dates the frescoes around the 13th century and attributes them to a provincial artist. Their feature is the long distance between the eyes from the mouth and the long nose. The design of the murals is simple and a limited number of colors are used. [5]

In 1925 a primary school was built at the expense of the benefactor of the village, Stylianos Markantonis (1875-1962). Until 1952, it also served the neighboring village of Mesonisia. The school continued to operate until the end of the 20th century, when it merged with the School of Apostles. Stylianos Markantonis also funded the construction of the main fountain, the formation of the church square and the renovation of the church of Agios Nikolaos. [6]

References

Stamatelatos, Michael? Vamba-Stamatelatou, Fotini (2012). Geographical Dictionary of Greece. A. Athens: THE NEWS. p. 214.
Spanakis, Stergios (1993). Cities and villages of Crete over the centuries, volume Α΄. Heraklion: Graphic Arts G. Detorakis. p. 339.
Contemporary Encyclopedia Eleftheroudaki. 9th (fifth edition). Athens: Encyclopedic Publications of N. Nikas and Co. EE 1964. p. 216.
"Elenes (Rethymno)". Residential Changes - Detailed. EETAA-Hellenic Society of Local Development and Local Government SA Retrieved October 21, 2019.
Spatharakis, Ioannis (1999). Byzantine frescoes of the Prefecture of Rethymno. Rethymnon: Mitos. pp. 75. ISBN 960-7857-02-X.
Kryovrysanakis, Lefteris (February 27, 2014). "Elenes and Mesarisia Amariou". Rethymno News. Retrieved on November 25, 2019.

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