Gavalochori
Gavalochori, also spelled Gavalohori, is a 1000-year-old village located in the northwestern part of the island of Crete, Greece. The village lies in a valley about three kilometers/1.86 miles directly inland from the coast, or four kilometers/2.5 mile by road. Gavalochori is located in the municipality of Apokoronas and has a population of 612.
Gavalochori is a historic working village and is home to twelve churches, two squares, two tavernas, a kafeneio, a bakery, two markets, an artisan shop, a hair salon, a stone-cutting business, a taxi service, and a civil engineering office. The village is surrounded by olive groves that serve as the agricultural base for the area.
History
Gavalochori has a long and complex history. Evidence of early habitation includes double-bladed axes, vessels, lamps, utensils, and roof tiles from the Minoan age and coins, house foundations, tiles, and water cisterns from the Mycenaean or Dorian era. In addition, coins, vessels, foundations, and tombs are still in evidence from the Roman period. Many buildings in the village derive from Byzantine, Venetian, and Turkish times.The origin story that is often told about Gavalochori is that the village was established when the Byzantine emperor Alexios Komnenos in Constantinople sent 12 nobles to Crete at the turn of the 12th century to prevent an anticipated revolt against him. According to the story, the nobles divided Crete into 12 areas, with each of them ruling one area and often naming it after himself. One of these nobles was Filippos Gavalas, so the name Gavalochori means "village of Gavalas." Most scholars now believe that the document supposedly issued by the emperor that sent the nobles to Crete was forged. It was probably constructed to provide the powerful Cretan landowners, including the Gavalas family, with a legal basis for the maintenance of their properties after the Venetians conquered the island.
Although Gavalochori is 1,000 years old, its written history is currently only available for about the past 300 years. As documents are discovered and analyzed, earlier periods in Gavalochori's history will benefit from a more comprehensive telling of the story of the village. What is known is that, despite its noble beginnings, Gavalochori has not had an easy history. The village was hit with devastating plagues in 1770, 1797, and 1810. A destructive rain fell on Gavalochori in 1862, and torrents of water rushed through the village, destroying houses and other property and drowning a number of residents. The early 20th century was another particularly difficult time for Gavalochori. Unemployment led many men in the village to migrate to America to work in the coal mines. In 1906 alone, 200 men from Gavalochori left, depriving the village of much of its workforce.
Crete has long had to deal with invaders—Dorians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Venetians, and Turks. Gavalochori residents faced a particularly difficult period of unwanted invasion when, during World War II, German soldiers occupied the village. They used the elementary school as their headquarters, and they also identified rooms in houses that they liked and moved in, with villagers forced to live side by side with their German occupiers. The Germans also ordered the adult men of Gavalochori and surrounding villages to build fortifications at the entrance to nearby Souda Bay.
Life in Gavalochori remained fairly unchanged until the late 1960s, when electricity and a municipal water system were brought to the village. Before that, oil lamps were used to light interior spaces, and the houses had cisterns, typically made of stone, that stored rainwater. The village also had wells that were fed by two underground streams.
Gavalochori is and always has been an agricultural village. Although tourism provides some economic support for villagers today, many people in the village continue to engage in the age-old agricultural practices of raising grapes, olives, and animals. In the past, the making of silk; stone cutting; tanning leather; and the growing of wheat, cotton, sesame, carobs, and figs were major economic drivers of the village, but they are no longer significant commercial activities in Gavalochori.
Culture
Gavalochori has been designated by the Ministry of Culture as a historically preserved place with a landscape of particular natural beauty as well as a site of popular architecture without significant modern alterations. Although new houses are being built in Gavalochori and especially on the hills above the village, Gavalochori has retained its traditional feel in part because so much of its architecture has been preserved. Many of the homes in Gavalochori are 300 to 500 years old and are either one- or two-story houses constructed of three primary materials—stone, soil, and wood. To foster the village's commitment to its history and culture, the Cultural Association of Gavalochori sponsors programs and organizes festivals of various kinds to uphold the traditions of the village.Local Sites
Gavalochori has a number of historic sites that provide a glimpse into its long history:· A restored 17th century olive mill
· Venetian wells that were built in the 15th or 16th centuries
· A folklore museum that displays historic objects made and/or used by residents of Gavalochori and items excavated from nearby archaeological sites
· An elementary school built by the villagers in 1913
· Historic Corner, a kafeneio until occupying Germans cut it in half in order to allow their vehicles to navigate the corner
· Twelve churches:
Church of Saint Anthony, dating to the 17th century
Church of Saint Catherine, dating to 1200
Church of Saint George, dating to medieval times
Church of Saint John, dating to the 17th century
Church of Saint Nectarios, dating from 1980
Church of Saint Phanourios, construction date unknown
Church of Saints Peter and Paul, dating at least to the 17th century
Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, dating to 1750
Church of the Holy Cross, dating to 1877
Church of the Nativity of Mary and Church of Saint Charalampos, the first built in 1628 and the second added at an unknown date
Church of Prophet Elijah, dating back at least to the 17th century
Nearby Archaeological Sites
The closest major archaeological site to Gavalochori is Aptera, which is away. The site contains layers of ruins dating back to the Minoan period. Set high on a hill, it is the location of a once-prosperous city state. Noteworthy are the large cisterns dating from Roman times.Another nearby archaeological site is Lappa, which is from Gavalochori in the village of Argyroupoli. Lappa was a powerful city state dating back at least to 300–400 BC. Its power waxed and waned through the years, but at one time, the city had its own mint and controlled ports on both the north and south coasts of Crete. Ruins at Lappa include numerous Roman tombs, a well-preserved mosaic floor, remains of a Roman bath, and extensive stonework.
Live Music
Musical events take place at a number of locations in Gavalochori. Live-music events regularly take place at the two tavernas in the village, Gavalianos Kafenes and Arismari. In addition, large musical events are presented several times a year in the parking lot next to the old elementary school. In late August or early September, a rock music concert S'Agapame Gavalochori is held at this location.Gavalochori Light Festival
For about a month during the winter holiday season, Gavalochori hosts a light festival, with holiday lights displayed throughout the village. This celebration of light was begun in December 2019. Its opening is marked with a ceremony that features speeches, music, dancing, and mezes in the main square. The lights are usually taken down shortly after Epiphany on January 6.Easter Celebration
On the Saturday night before Easter Sunday, Gavalochori hosts a ritual celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. Residents of the village and nearby villages gather in the open area outside of the Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, with everyone bringing a candle. At midnight, following a church service, the lights in the church re extinguished until the priest appears with a lighted candle and says, "Δευτε λάβετε φως εκ του ανεσπέρου φοτος και δοξάζεται Χριστός τών αναστάντα εκνεκρών!" The priest lights a candle with the "Holy Flame" and lights the candle of someone standing near him. That individual then lights the candle of someone nearby, and the light is transferred from one to another until all of the candles held by the people gathered have been lighted.
Outside the church, an effigy of Judas is tied atop a pyre of tree branches that has been prepared in the days leading up to the Saturday service. After everyone's candle is lighted, the pyre is torched, and Judas is burned in effigy, accompanied by firecrackers and fireworks. Following the burning of Judas, everyone moves to the main square, where members of the Cultural Association of Gavalochori serve raki, wine, and hard-boiled eggs dyed bright red to represent the blood of Christ.