The picturesque mountainous village of Achentrias is 60 kilometers from Heraclion and 680 meters above the sea level. Administratively, it falls under the Archanes-Asterousia municipality and the local community takes in the coastal settlements of Pera Tsoutsouras and Maridaki, and the Agios Nikitas Monastery.

264 residents live in Achentrias and their main occupation is livestock. The cheese made in Achentrias is very popular to all Cretans.

The settlement is an ideal destination for the nature lovers as in the area there are caverns, paths, the Achentrias gorge, that ends to Maridaki, and also the lake of Tourkos (i.e.Turk).

HISTORY

One of the references of Achentrias is in the list of Mparotsi, in 1577, as “Aghiendra metochio”. Kastrofilakas mentions it and its 25 residents and ,then, Basilikata refers to it as “Orchiendrea”. In 1881, Achientrias is stated in the Xarakas municipality with 282 residents. According to the census, in 1971, the village had 560 residents.

NAME

The name of the village comes from the Cretan word “Ochentra”, which means viper. So, etymologically, Achentrias is a place with many vipers.

CHURCHES

The byzantine church of Agios Dimitrios and the monastery of Agios Nikitas, some kilometers in the south of the settlement, are some interesting sightseeing in the area. There are also the churches of Koimisi of Theotokos, Agios Charalampos, Metamorfosi od Sotiras and Agios Ioannis (St John).

FESTIVITIES

The church of Metamorfosi of Sotiras is celebrated and its festival is held on the 6^th of August.