12km south of Anogia, at altitude of 1200m, you can find the beautiful church of the orthodox saint of Agios Yakinthos. The church is located in the middle of a forest of thousand-years-old prinos, young aspen trees and eternal rocks, in the area called Fourni. The church of Agios Yakinthos is reminiscent of a Cretan mitato, as it is a circular stone building, reminiscent of Minoan architecture.

Saint Yakinthos began to be honored in Anogia and began to become famous in the rest of Greece and the world. The spark that became the occasion for the transmission of the knowledge of Agios Yakinthos is called Loudovikos of Anogion.

The famous songwriter referring to the Saint of love says: ‘’ Saint Yakinthos as an ideology is said with three words: the saint of feelings, remembrance, and their expectation. That is the reason, when you go to Saint Yakinthos you will light two candles, one in remembrance and one in expectation. In such a place of prayer it’ necessary to remember a great love that I lost but on the other hand I can ask to find again my feelings.’’

Who was Saint Yakinthos?

According to the Orhtodox Church, Saint Yakinthos was a chamberlain of the emperor Traianou from Kesaria. Yakinth had embraced Christianity and when the emperor found out, he imprisoned him in the mountain Fourni, south of Anogia. The guards gave him food soaked in the blood of animals sacrificed during pagan rites and he refused to eat it. He died of starvation at the age of 21.

The guards saw angels in the cell to care him. But Traianos did not stop there. He ordered the dead body of Yakinthos to be thrown to the beasts to eat it, but the angels protected him again and so it buried in his homeland. Saint Yakinthos celebrates on the 3^rd of July.

The Yakinthos of mythology

Yakinthos, according to mythology, was a handsome young man, favored by the god Apollo. One day, Apollo threw his record and Zephyrus, who was jealous of Yakinthos, changed the direction of the wind, causing the record to hit the handsome young man and fall dead. Apollo with the blood of Yakintos created the homonymous flower.