Agios Myronas (Άγιος Μύρωνας, formerly Άγιος Μύρων ''Agios Myron'') is a village in the

Heraklion Heraklion or Iraklion ( ; el, Ηράκλειο, , ) is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in Greece with a population of 211,370 (Urban Ar ...

regional unit of

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...

, Greece named for Saint Myron of Crete. In 2011, its population was 612. Agios Myronas is built on two hills. The school's clock tower is familiar landmark in the region. Most residents are farmers producing

raisin A raisin is a dried grape. Raisins are produced in many regions of the world and may be eaten raw or used in cooking, baking, and brewing. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia, the word ''raisin'' is reserved for the ...

s and

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

History

The ancient name of Agios Myronas was (Raukos, latinized as Rhaucus). There are archaeological finds dating as early as 1900 BCE in the

Archaeological Museum of Heraklion The Heraklion Archaeological Museum is a museum located in Heraklion on Crete. It is one of the greatest museums in Greece and the best in the world for Minoan art, as it contains by far the most important and complete collection of artefacts o ...

. A chamber tomb of the Late Minoan IIIa period was discovered in 1941. The modern name comes from Saint Myron the Wonderworker (c. 250-350), born in Raukos, who became a bishop of

Gortyna Gortyna ( grc, Γόρτυνα; also known as Gortyn (Γορτύν)) was a town of ancient Crete which appears in the Homeric poems under the form of Γορτύν; but afterwards became usually Gortyna (Γόρτυνα). According to Stephanus o ...

. The first attestation of the name is in a contract from 1281. In 1837, its population consisted of 70 families, of which 3 were Muslim. The village was known for its wine. Under the late Ottoman Empire, several natives of Agios Myron participated in resistance to Ottoman rule, including in the

Macedonian Struggle The Macedonian Struggle ( bg, Македонска борба; el, Μακεδονικός Αγώνας; mk, Борба за Македонија; sr, Борба за Македонију; tr, Makedonya Mücadelesi) was a series of social, po ...

, the

Theriso revolt The Theriso revolt ( el, Επανάσταση του Θερίσου) was an insurrection that broke out in March 1905 against the government of Crete, then an autonomous state under Ottoman suzerainty. The revolt was led by the Cretan politicia ...

, and the Balkan Wars. The village was completely rebuilt after being destroyed by an earthquake in 1856. Until the Kallikratis reorganization of 2011, it was the seat of the Municipal Unit of

Gorgolainis Gorgolainis ( el, Γοργολαΐνης) is a former municipality in the Heraklion regional unit, Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Heraklion, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal uni ...

within the Province (Επαρχία) of

Malevizi Malevizi ( el, Μαλεβίζι) is a municipality in Heraklion regional unit, Crete, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town of Gazi. The municipality has an area of . Municipality The municipality Malevizi was formed at the 2011 local g ...

, which included Ano Asites,

Kato Asites Kato Asites ( el, Kάτω Ασίτες) is a medium-sized village in the heart of the Heraklion regional unit, Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88 ...

, Pentamodi, Petrokefalo, and Pyrgou.

Facilities

The church of Saint Myron sits in a prominent position, and contains relics of the saint. Below the church is the

skete A skete ( ) is a monastic community in Eastern Christianity that allows relative isolation for monks, but also allows for communal services and the safety of shared resources and protection. It is one of four types of early monastic orders, a ...

where Myron is said to have worshipped, now a chapel. The village also has a primary school, a middle school, a secondary school, a police station, a post office, and an office of the Agia Varvara health center.

Notes

Bibliography

* Το Ηράκλειον και ο Νομός του (Heraklion and its region), published by the Prefecture of Heraklion Populated places in Heraklion (regional unit) {{Crete-geo-stub