Metaxochori
The picturesque village of Metaxochori is built in the foot of a hill, 420 meters above the sea and 34 metres from Heraclion.
The village belongs to the Archanes-Asterousia Municipality and the local community includes Armanogia, Partheni and the monastery of Agios Georgios Epanosifis.
Armanogia is a small settlement built 450 meters above the sea. The village is 38 kilometers from Heraclion and the south-west of the Epanosifi monastery. The 106 residents of the village are known for their love of the musical tradition. The majority of them come from Anogia of Milopotamos. The dam of Armanogia is at the end of the settlement and it is a very important wet land in the area.
Partheni is 28 kilometers from Heraklion and a very beautiful, traditional and small settlement which is built on a 470-meter hummock. Very few people live in the village.
Metaxochori is the largest village of the district with 403 residents according to the census of 2011. The residents are mainly occupied by agriculture and, particularly, the olive crop and vine- growing. Many residents are also occupied by livestock.
HISTORY
Metaxochori is mentioned as Kako Chorio in records of 1577. Many accounts are also made by the same name.
Kako Chorio was a fief of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in the 15th century. In the beginning of the 17th century it was a fief of the lord Lagouvardos in the field of whom Epanosifi monastery was built.
According to the 1881 census 1 Christian and 114 Turks lived in the settlement.
In 1920 the village was the seat of the rural municipality.
In 1940 it was the seat of the Kako Chorio community.
Even though they didn’t bomb inland villages, Germans bombed the village in May of 1941 because the residents sheltered allies.
The name of the settlement changed in 1951 and became “Metaxochorion”.
The oldest references of the Armanogia and Partheni villages are in 1577 and 1369 respectively.
Partheni is stated in a record of 1383 as fief of Leonardos Gradonikos, from the famous family of Grandonikos, that organized the revolution and found the democracy of Agios Titos in Chandax, in 1363. After the oppression of the revolution and the decapitation of those who were responsible, the fiefs were given to the Venetian state and then to others. So in 1383 Partheni belonged to Andreas Moros.
PLACE NAME
According to the villagers there were many mulberries in Metaxochori. Many silkworms were on their leaves, until they came out from their cocoons and became butterflies. The village was named “Metaxochori” (i.e. the silk village) because of the number of the silkworms.
According to Stelios Alexiou the place name of Armanogia comes from Erima Anogia. Stavrinidis, confused by the mistaken writing of the village in the Turkish census of 1671 stated as “Armenoye”, supposed that the village was colonized by Armenians.
The origin of the name of the Partheni village is not known.
MYTH
The traditional history proves the previous name of Metaxochori, i.e. Kako Chorio.
According to tradition, during the Turkish occupation, Turks that lived in Metaxochori went to a wedding in Larani village. During the ceremony Turks killed the groom, fried his liver and gave it to the bride to eat (she didn’t know it). When she learnt the truth shouted “ Aman, Kako Chorio!” (i.e. Gosh, Kako Chorio!).
This story is thought as invalid as the village existed from the Venetian era.
CHURCHES
The patron saint of Metaxochori is Panagia and is celebrated on the 15th of August. The churches of Agios Nikolaos, built on the ruins of the Byzantine church, and Agios Rafail are also in the village.
The small church of Agios Onisimos, unique in our country and found by accident by a judge that had an accident in the area where the small church was buried, is 1500 meters in the east of the village.
The judge thought that the grace of the saint protected him and so he renovated the church that is celebrated on the 15th of February and the judges from all over the country come to worship it.
The Epanosifi monastery is 2 kilometers in the north of Metaxochori.
