Meleses, Heraklion

Meleses (Μελέσαι) Heraklion

Meleses is a village in the province of Pediados in the prefecture of Heraklion with a population of 309 during the 2001 census. It is also one of the villages (with the Kallikratis municipal district law) of the Municipality of Archanes Asterousia in the prefecture of Heraklion, Crete. It is located in a landscape in the middle of vineyards, olive groves and flower gardens, at 21.7 km of the road to Vianno. The inhabitants are engaged in olive growing and viticulture. Wine, oil and raisins are produced. In the village there is, among others, a primary school, a kindergarten, a high school and a single high school. The High School was founded by the Greek expatriate Konstantinos Maliotis, originally from this village, as a gift to his hometown. In the village there is an active Cultural Association, which with its actions, takes care of the preservation of morals and customs. It has holy temples of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary, Agios Georgios and Agia Paraskevi. In the area of ​​the settlement there are also the old churches of Agios Antonios, Agia Pelagia and Agios Ioannis. In the cemetery of the village there are the ruins of a Byzantine church, which dates back to the 12th century.

M.D. Studies

The Municipal District of Melesa has 410 inhabitants, based on the 2001 census. It consists of:

Meleses [309], seat.
Filisia [101], at an altitude of 340m. , older writing: Filissa. In the settlement is the church of Agia Makrini.

Historical data

To the east of the village on a two-story hill called Kastelos, ruins of a medieval fortress survive. Nearby are the ruins of the church of Panagia. In this place Gerola [1] believes that there was a village, called Castello del Betto, which is mentioned in the census of Kastrofylakas with 37 inhabitants in 1583. [2]

In a contract of 1271, one of the first mentions in the Studies is made: Johannes Artemanno habitator in casali Mellexe dare tenetur Lindiacho iudeo .... [3] In other contracts of 1280 and 1281 we find it Melesse and Micri or Micre Melesse [4] The village is mentioned in 1583 as consisting of two settlements: Melesses Catto and Melesses Apano with 217 and 192 inhabitants respectively.

Filissia belonged to Meleses when the latter were a community, and today they are part of the Municipal Department of Meles. In the 16th century they had 119 inhabitants and are referred to as Figlissa [2]
Bibliography

Heraklion and its Prefecture, Heraklion Prefecture Publication.

References

Monument ecc. vol. I, 217
Kastrofylakas, K 94, 1583.
A. Lombardo, Documenti della colonia veneziana di Creta, p. 65
M. Chiaudano and A. Lombardo, Fonti per la storia di Venezia, pp. 96, 123, 126, 127, 141)

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