Spinalonga – Ghostly Priests and Lepers
Once you have landed and navigated your way to your villa with pool, Crete attractions await you across the island. So, whilst it is temping to stay closer to your luxurious villa, there are many excursions to choose from. Here is the perfect option if you enjoy a little ghostly activity in your life.
Spinalonga History
Don’t waste too much time settling into your villa with pool, Crete has too many exciting places to visit. One of these is the island of Spinalonga, located on the eastern side of Crete, near the village of Elounda. Spinalonga is a popular tourist attraction and has quite an intriguing history, having been a fortress for the Venetian people, and then for the Turks when they conquered the island in 1661 after a 21 year siege. It was a powerful fortress but looked like an uninhabited island to passing ships. They realised their mistake too late, and the island would unleash its canon power.
The Lepers and the Turkish
Back in those days, not being able to offer their lepers the luxury of a villa with pool, Crete officials placed them on the island in 1903; where, instead of the caves they had previously been living in, they could create their own community with fresh water, food, medical attention and social security payments. (Although some people believe it was actually to rid the island of the last Turks who stayed after the war.) The lepers lived on the island until 1957, when they were relocated back to mainland Crete due to the discovery of a cure for the disease.
Spinalonga Today
Today you can only take day trips to visit the island, as there is no accommodation. But even though you can’t have the luxury of a Spinalonga villa with pool, Crete has some great transport links, and you can get to the island easily. Once on the island, you can visit the two churches and former leper community. Interestingly, one church was reserved for the joyous occasions – weddings, christenings and the like – and the other one was for funerals.
The Ghostly Priest
If you tend towards the macabre, there is a little more to the churches than just a history lesson. Due to the discovery of the cure for leprosy, in 1957 the island was deserted except for a lone priest who remained until 1962. This is because in the Greek Orthodox Church a person’s burial must be commemorated at different intervals – the final time being five years after their death. Apparently the priest never made it off the island, and he was found dead on the floor of his beloved church. His ghost is now said to haunt the island, and visitors have claimed to be able to experience the grief of the priest when wandering through the church and its graveyard. So if you want to be mugged by a ghostly priest, not to mention the souls of the all the lepers who died on the island, then spend some time on Spinalonga while on your Cretan holidays.
Paul Fogg is the Managing Director of Freelance Holidays, a premium accommodation company specialising in holidays in a luxury villa with pool, Crete , as well as other Mediterranean locations. If you are looking for a luxury villa with pool, Crete , allow us to assist in your perfect choice from our hand-picked selection.
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