Koufi, Rethymno

Koufi (Κούφη ) Rethymno

Koufi is a village located in the prefecture of Rethymno in Crete at an altitude of 175m and belongs administratively to the Municipality of Lappaia. According to the 2001 census, 144 people appear as permanent residents of the village.

Name of the village

As for the name of the village, there are two equally interesting versions. The first is that the village is built on a plate and below it is hollow and so it was named Koufi. But perhaps the village, in a second sense, got its name from an old woman who lived in the village, probably in the first years of its creation. At that time, it is said that seven families lived in the village and to one of them belonged the old woman who supplied the people with herbs and various medicines. So everyone was saying "let's go deaf" when they wanted to ask a doctor. Probably the name of the village remained in this way, with a slight shift of tone from the ending to the ending.

One element that reinforces the first version is the existence of a hole of about 30cm in a vineyard in the northern extension of the logo of the village, from which warm air and water vapor emerges in winter, while in summer the presence of an air stream is felt. There is also a reference to a cave called "Pezoulos" which is located near the chapel of the Holy Apostles. This means that the formation of rocks in this particular ridge is such that it makes the existence of an underground cave a reasonable version.

History

In the Minoan years, the area of ​​Koufi probably belonged to the wider area of ​​Ancient Lappa, judging by a find found in the archeological museum of Rethymno, which comes from the area of ​​Koufi.

The first evidence for the existence of the village is mentioned in the 14th century by Fr. Barozzi, the Castrophylakas. According to his reports, in 1577 there were 64 inhabitants in the village. The village experienced Venetian rule and this is evidenced by the vaulted buildings and arches that exist in several houses in the village. In 1583 the inhabitants owed 126 chores according to the data found in the library of Rethymnon. In 1630 the village belongs to the district of Rethymno and three years later there was a Venetian watchtower during their attempt to guard the NW. Rethimno. This information is given to us by a report of the Venetian general Vasilakatas to his commander.

Then Koufi met the Turkish yoke. From a written testimony from the archives of the Rethymnon Magistrate's Court, in 1774 it appears that a single deaf man, Markos Daletzas of Michelis, was sued by the son of Amar's aga, Aziz, for property disputes. In 1822, when the revolution broke out in the rest of Greece, in the villages of Koufi, Archontiki and Episkopi, Markos Papadakis from the Episkopi was appointed universal leader. During the Cretan revolution, 4 battalions of the Turkish army (1868) arrived in the area of ​​Episkopi with the aim of capturing the lower Mylopotamos. While some part of the force is setting up its tents near Koufi, it is forced, after the intervention of the revolutionaries of Rethymno, to leave the village and unite with the main body that was in the village, Episkopi.

In 1881 the village is part of the municipality of Argyroupolis with 139 Christian inhabitants. It is noteworthy that the village was never inhabited by Turks - its population was kept purely Greek. In 1900 the village has 188 inhabitants and belongs to the municipality of Lappaion. In 1928 it is a single community with the village of Arkoudaina (now Archontiki) and has a total of 230 inhabitants. In 1930, it became an autonomous community with Nikolaos Anastasakis as its first president. In the same year, the new primary school of the village was built, which was built next to the church of Agia Marina on a plot donated by Georgios Tripolitakis. The first teacher of the new school was Mrs. Episkopaki. In 1933, the first telephone community facility was established in the village.

In the war of 1940, when the German occupiers invaded the village and according to the testimonies of residents who experienced the occupation, there was unrest and the residents sought refuge in hiding inside and outside the village, while others took refuge in the nearby cave "Pezoulos". According to a testimony, the residents left the doors of the houses open and that is why the Germans passed through the village without paying much attention. In the years of resistance that followed, there were many Koufians who actively participated in the struggle. Around 1944, resistance groups appear to have killed a German in the Koufi area. In retaliation, the Germans bombed the village the next day from the area of ​​Apokoronas, but without causing significant damage to the buildings. The villagers performed it in a miracle of Agia Marina, patroness of the village.
In 1964, Koufi is one of the first villages in Crete to have a sewer system and electricity. In 1978, the Cultural Association "Agia Marina" was founded, with Marinos Tsouknakis, one of the deaf people of Athens, as president. In 1991, the community of Koufis, together with the then communities of Karoti, Archontiki and Episkopi, voluntarily merged to establish the municipality of Episkopi with a total population of 1,533 inhabitants. 1993 is the last year that the primary school is open and from there onwards the few children of Koufi go to school near the school that operates in the Diocese. In 1997, according to the national program of Ioannis Kapodistrias, the municipality of Episkopi was renamed the municipality of Lappaion and other neighboring communities joined it. In 2001, the cultural and aesthetic association of Koufis was founded, based in the Primary School, which also houses a lending library donated by Iraklis Vourexakis.

Ecclesiastical affiliation

The church of the village is dedicated to Agia Marina. Ecclesiastically, it belongs to the 5th Hierarchical Region of the Holy Metropolis of Rethymno and Avlopotamos, of the Church of Crete.

Sights
One afternoon in August at the village cafe.

Due to its privileged geographical position on a ridge, the village has unobstructed views from Madares to Akrotiri and from the bishop's beach to Kryoneritis. As it is located inland and not on a main road, it retains its original character, without having undergone the intense damage caused by tourism. So the main "attraction" is the experience of living in the village itself and socializing with its inhabitants.

In the village there are several restored stone houses with arches, which date from the time of the Venetians and the Turks, a few ruins and some newer construction. The churches that exist seem to have been built after 1800. The oldest seems to be the chapel of the Holy Apostles if we rely on the building that exists above the chapel and which dates from 1863. Also there is a tank and collects its water. a spring that gushes almost through the church and which was formerly used by the inhabitants to irrigate the orchards. One can reach this small church if one follows a beautiful path that starts from the village. In the center of the village, next to the old school is the church of Agia Marina, which is also the patron saint of the village. It was built in 1902-07 with Deligiorgis as its master builder in the area where there was a smaller church of Agia Marina together with a cemetery. Inside the church there is a remarkable wood-carved iconostasis made by George Papadogiannis. The icon of Agia Marina is the work of the hagiographer Vivylakis, dates from 1876 and is considered miraculous. Recently it was restored externally on the initiative of the parish priest Emmanuel Souchlakis.
A member of the Vourexaki family enjoys the playground - in the background is Agia Marina.

The chapel of the Holy Spirit is located in Zourva and overlooks the village of Karoti. Initially, this small church was a cemetery and the place was rented to Chryso Stavroulaki, who was also the mother of the village. It was then granted for the construction of the church by the family of Evangelos Tsouknakis, to whom it had been given as a dowry. The village cemetery is located just outside the village at its northern entrance and there is the church of Zoodochou Pigi. The specific area, as well as the adjacent playground with the big press was offered to the Community by Nikolaos Kimionis or Damoulis.

In the location "Pigados" there is a peculiar aqueduct, carved in the rock that is filled with rain water while in the area "Travas" there is a flour mill. Both of these buildings date back to the time of Venetian rule. The beautifully designed square of the village next to the church of Agia Marina, which is covered by a series of mulberries with an excellent view to the side of the Mansion, is also appreciated. Finally, reference should be made to the old community fountain that exists in the village, which without knowing when it was built, we know that it was restored in 1952 and which served the needs of the village in water for many years.

Economy

The economy of the area is based on olive production and livestock (goats, sheep and pigs). There is a cafe that also offers food and a small grocery store. At the entrance of the village there is a handicraft feed unit. Also due to the short distance from the city of Rethymno (about 20 km), some of the residents choose to keep their home in the village, while at the same time practicing their business elsewhere.

Families

The following families live or have lived in Koufi:

Anastasaki: The oldest MP Nikolaos Anastasakis and the former presidents of the community, Marinos of Nikolaos and Marinos of Spyridonas, stand out.
Vourexaki. Doctors Nikolaos, Iraklis & Alexandros stand out. Officers Antonios, Stylianos & Manolis, Irini and Kaiti teachers and George an agronomist and veterinarian. The mother of the well-known director Spyros Evangelatos, a member of the Academy of Athens, also comes from the same family.
Velonaki.
Vogiatzaki. Nikolaos, a retired insurer and veteran of the Korean War, stands out.
Vernadou.
Vourvachaki. Lefteris, Squadron Leader, stands out.
Vourexaki. Alexander, an ophthalmologist in Athens.
Geraniotaki. Ioannis, a fighter in the Balkan wars, stands out.
Gypari. Andreas stands out
Dalentza. Diogenes stands out, who served as emperor of the Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, and John, author of "Dara Manella" [1]
Theodorakis. Tassos, a leading dancer, also stands out from the founding members of the Crete rock band
Kanakakis: With a penchant for the arts (Ioannis is a well-known sculptor and Lefteris is a painter) Also, George Kanakakis is the chief and grandfather of the businessman V. Grissin
Kastanioudaki. Despina, former director of IKA, stands out
Kokkinaki. George stands out as a Balkan warlord who also fought in France during World War II.
Kimioni. Nikolaos (Damoulis), a donor of the cemetery plot, stands out
Konstantelaki. The artist Makis stands out
Leonidakis. The family of the engineer Ioannis
Lion. George stands out from the last horseshoes
Manouseli. The family of Nikolaos and his daughter Marina
Moutafi.
Orphanoudaki. Ioannis officer e.a. and Georgios businessman in Heraklion stand out
Papadaki. George stands out
Petrakaki
Papasifaki. Antonis, an Air Force officer, stands out. and president of the local community
Pateraki.
Petraki.
Petromanolakis. Elias stands out, who built the church of Zoodochou Pigi, after his vision.
Pentheroudakis.
Souchlaki. Pappa-Manolis stands out
Stathaki.
Stavroulaki. They moved to Kalonykti.
Tzanidakis. Lefteris, the founder of the "KANARIA" center in Chania, stands out.
Tzenevraki.
Tripolitakis: The leader Manolis Tripolitakis stands out who took part in the liberation wars of 1912-13
Tsouknakis: Marinos stands out, vice president of the cultural association Koufis
Fyssakis.
Settlements of the Municipality of Rethymno

New information about the life and work of Giannis Dalentzas

Municipal unit Lappaioi
Community Argyroupoli
Αργυρούπολις, η
Community Archontiki
Archontiki (Αρχοντική)
Community Vilandendro
Alones (Αλώναι, αι)
Arolithi (Αρολίθιον, το)
Vilandredo (Βιλανδρέδον, το)
Roumpado (Ρουμπάδον, το)
Community Episkopi
Episkopi (Επισκοπή)
Pyrgos (Πύργος, ο)
Community Karoti
Karoti (Καρωτή)
Community Kato Poros
Kato Poros (Κάτω Πόρος, ο)
Community Koufi
Koufi (Κούφη)
Community Myriokefala
Maroulou (Μαρουλού)
Myriokefala (Μυριοκέφαλα, τα)

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