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| History |
Villa KAPASA The house
of S. Kapasakis is once again ready to welcome those who seek
to discover the true identity of Crete.
S. Kapasakis, a resistance fighter and hero of World War II,
emigrated to New York with his wife Caliope and his six children,
uprooted from the free mountains of Crete, in order to support
his family.
His house fell into ruins along with the rest of the village
MATHES
(picture right), as other families also abandoned their homes
for better prospects in industrialized countries or to the
near by town of Georgioupolis, where they are now serving
the mass tourism.
Today Mathes has only 30 inhabitants, although before the
2nd World War 700 people lived here.
Years later, two of his children, Spyros and Andreas, have
returned to their roots and rebuilt their father’s home
for you too. |
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| Only a 25
-minute walk from the beach of Georgioupolis, high up where
pristine nature has not been ruined by plastic, the 10 airconditiond
rooms house of the shepherd S. Kapasas has been restored with
stone and wood to its original state. The restoration has been
accomplished with loving care and due regard for beauty and
for the comfort of guests. |
"Agios Antonios" bevor
the tree burned down
"Agios Antonios" today
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Today A. Kapasakis is the caretaker of the churches in Mathes
and has been actively involved in their restoration or rebuilding
:
Agios Georgious, the cemetery church, Agios Antonios, Agios
Efstratigos and Agios Vasilios. Every church has its own history.
Andreas Kapasakis tells the story of the small Agios
Antonios chapel, which can be found just before the entrance
to the village on the righthand side : “For over 800 years
there has been a carob tree in the court yard of this chapel
(which has wonderful old paintings).
In 1986 this tree burned down; only the roots have remained.
It is said that neither goats nor sheeps ever ate the fruit
of this holy tree, normally one of their favourite diets.”
Andreas also found an ancient font at this location, which can
now be seen in
the museum in Canea. Unfortunately for security reasons the
churches have to be closed nowadays.
Mathes, which was a county town 400 years ago, has now become
part of the community of Georgioupolis. The people of the past
came to Mathes to study. “Matho” is the Greek word
for “learning” -hence the name “Mathes”. |
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