Lithines is one of the richest villages of the Municipality. The village owes its name to a Byzantine nobleman, Lukas Litino, who settled with his relatives in the area.

Of particular interest are the churches of the region, the ‘Panagia ton Lithinon’ being one of them, which is built inside a rock and is famous for its murals and the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary.

Worthy of notice are the offerings of the church builders, which are nothing more than the dishes in which they ate and are now embedded in the walls.

 

Tradition has it that they ate frugally and avoided meat and that’s why to this day, it is believed that, if someone goes past the church carrying meat during fast, it will rot.

 

The church celebrates on the 8th of September and worshippers from every corner of Crete come to pay homage to the miraculous icon. On the eve and the day of the celebration, the visitors can experience a two-day Cretan feast.

Association News

LAW NO. 4179 / 2013 - Fostering entrepreneurship in tourism, restructuring of the Greek National Tourism Organization and other provisions.

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