The village Vorizia ( Voriza, in the past) is in the southern foot of Psiloreitis, 53 kilometers from Heraclion.

Administratively the village is under Zaros of the Festos municipality.

The Laloumas and Mesikli settlements and the Varsamoneri monastery are also under the same community. The monastery works from the 18^th century and it was an important center of book reading in the past. The church of the monastery is decorated with frescos in Venetian style.

According to the 2011 census 491 people live in Vorizia. Their main occupations are agriculture, livestock, woodcarving and weaving.

The path that leads to the Nida plateau through the Vorizia gorge starts from the village.

HISTORY

The village played an important role during the Revolutions. In the Turkish occupation many chieftains of the island came from Vorizia.

During the Nazi occupation the village took part in the Greek Resistance, was bombed by Germans and destroyed completely. After the Liberation the state made a settlement for the residents but they denied living in Vrontisaki, near the Vrontisi monastery. They preferred rebuilding their village and so they left the new settlement.

In 1583 Vorizia is stated in Kastrofilakas, with 281 residents and by the name “Vorisa”. Lalumas (“Lalumas” with 39 residents) and Mesikli (“Mesiscli” with 88 residents) are also referred in the same census.

No Turk living in the village is mentioned in the censuses of 1843 and 1881.

FESTIVITIES

Festivities in the honor of the Resistance against Germans take place in Vorizia every year, on the 15^th of August.