Cranae or Kranai ( el, Κρανάη ) (also Marathonisi) is an island off the coast of Gytheio (ancient

Gythium Gytheio ( el, Γύθειο, ) or Gythio, also the ancient Gythium or Gytheion ( grc, Γύθειον), is a town on the eastern shore of the Mani Peninsula, and a former municipality in Laconia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government ...

) connected to the land by a causeway built in 1898.

Etymology

Some believe that the etymology for the name Cranae (Kranai) comes from the legendary king of Athens Kranaos, the successor of King Kekropas (Cecrops) as Athens was also known as "Kranaa". However the word Kranaos according to Homer it has the following meanings: 'Rocky', 'ragged', 'hard'. Therefore, some believe that the word Kranai literally means 'rocky', 'rock'. The name "Marathonisi" translates to 'fennel-island', as the herb fennel was naturally growing on this island.

History

According to legend, when

Paris of Troy Paris ( grc, Πάρις), also known as Alexander (, ''Aléxandros''), the son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy, is a mythological nobleman that appears in a number of Greek legends. Of these appearances, probably the best known was th ...

abducted

Helen Helen may refer to: People * Helen of Troy, in Greek mythology, the most beautiful woman in the world * Helen (actress) (born 1938), Indian actress * Helen (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Places * Helen, ...

from Sparta they spent their first night in Cranae. When

became the major port of

ancient Sparta Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referre ...

, Cranae became a resting spot for traders. After the rest of Greece enslaved to the

Ottoman Turks The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...

only

Mani Mani may refer to: Geography * Maní, Casanare, a town and municipality in Casanare Department, Colombia * Mani, Chad, a town and sub-prefecture in Chad * Mani, Evros, a village in northeastern Greece * Mani, Karnataka, a village in Dakshi ...

remained free. The beys of Mani fortified Cranae with a Maniot tower called Tzannetakis Tower built in 1829. Tzannetakis tower today became the Historical and Cultural museum of Mani. On the island there is a chapel dedicated to

St Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupation ...

(Agios Petros) which is favored by many couples to use on their weddings due to its beautiful views of the city of Gytheio and picturesque location. There is also a prominent 23m-high lighthouse built in 1873 with high-quality marble from the area of Tainaro in south

Mani peninsula The Mani Peninsula ( el, Μάνη, Mánē), also long known by its medieval name Maina or Maïna (Μαΐνη), is a geographical and cultural region in Southern Greece that is home to the Maniots (Mανιάτες, ''Maniátes'' in Greek), who cla ...

Gallery

Gythios, island 01.JPG, View from Gytheio Agios Petros - Gythio - 01.jpg, Chapel of St Peter Lighthouse 33.jpg, Lighthouse of Cranae Gythios, island 04.JPG, Tzanetakis' tower at Cranae

References

Sources

* Pausanias, translated by W.H.S Jones, (1918). Pausanias Description of Greece. London: Harvard University Press. . * Homer, translated by Alexander Pope. The Iliad. Penguin Books Ltd; New edition (7 Mar 1996). . {{Authority control Landforms of Laconia Geography of ancient Laconia Laconian mythology Islands of Peloponnese (region) Locations in the Iliad East Mani