In the depths of the largest accessible cave on Crete

Anastasis Parasiris welcomes us to the Sfendoni Cave, astatine the ft of Psiloritis Mountain, successful cardinal Crete. In this awesome earthy wonder that during its past served arsenic a refuge for section revolutionaries, the young Cretan tour usher with his diagnostic accent and stentorian voice guides visitors passim the year, telling the story of the cave arsenic if it were the archetypal time.

“I used to travel present when I was small to play with my friends. Holding flashlights and candles, we would participate done a small entranceway that was conscionable large capable for us, and that’s where the escapade would begin. The cave wasn’t unfastened to the nationalist astatine the time. When it was opened up years later, I decided to instrumentality to my hometown and work arsenic a tour guide,” helium tells us.

The temperature wrong the cave remains stable astatine 16-17 degrees each year round.

It’s the extremity of summertime and visitors are still arriving from each implicit the world. Sfendoni, the largest accessible cave connected Crete and 1 of the oldest successful Greece, is located astir a kilometer northeast of the mountainous village of Zoniana, successful cardinal Crete, and 43 kilometers from the town of Iraklio, astatine an altitude of 650 meters. It is portion of the Psiloritis Natural Park and is protected by UNESCO. It is teeming with stalactites and stalagmites, petrified wave formations, and awesome colors that alternate from country to room.

“No 1 knows when oregon by whom it was discovered. What we bash cognize is that it dates backmost 5 to 8 cardinal years, and successful the excavations carried retired successful 1987 by [archaeologist] Gavrilakis, we recovered not lone that there was beingness successful 3500 BC during the Early Minoan Period, but besides that important findings emerged from the Neolithic Age and the Late Roman Period,” Parasiris tells Kathimerini. “Among the carnal skeletons that were discovered, there were bones of reddish cervid and roe cervid – and these were the astir important, due to the fact that this is however we learned that animals that nary longer beryllium successful Crete existed then.”

Tour usher Anastasis Parasiris welcomes visitors to the Sfendoni Cave, astatine the ft of Mount Psiloritis, successful cardinal Crete.

The unsolved death

‘I used to travel present when I was small to play with my friends. Holding flashlights and candles, we would participate done a small entranceway that was conscionable large capable for us, and that’s where the escapade would begin’

The cave took its sanction from the nickname of a Sfakian guerrilla fighter, known locally arsenic Sfentonis, who lived successful the country during Ottoman rule. When a fewer decades ago, a small quality skeleton was discovered successful the past enclosure of the cave, embalmed successful limestone material, grounds that it had been there for respective centuries, rumors astir what happened to the unfortunate lad began to spread: Some said that it belonged to a young antheral whom Sfentonis killed retired of fearfulness of betraying him, while others believed that it belonged to a kid who was mislaid successful the cave and ne'er managed to find his way back.

The unsolved decease is 1 of the stories told by the tour usher that visitors perceive to with involvement successful the “chamber of the mislaid child.” With the aforesaid attention, they perceive to different fable that has haunted the village to this day.

“The archetypal enclosure of the cave is called ‘the fairy’s sanctuary.’ It took its sanction from the fairy who is believed to person lived there agelong ago. Legend has it that a shepherd who had seen her wanted to buss her, but she eluded him each time. When astatine 1 constituent helium acceptable up a trap and caught her, she said to him, ‘If you don’t buss me, I will wish that your household will ever nutrient silk, but if you buss maine I will curse you each to person trembling hands forever.’ As helium couldn’t resist, helium kissed her and fearfulness has haunted the village ever since. I retrieve that descendants of that shepherd, adjacent two decades ago, continued to judge successful the curse and said that their hands trembled due to the fact that of it,” Parasiris tells us.

The cave today is simply a source of pridefulness for the main village of Rethymno. Before it opened to the public, section residents used it to store their food – known arsenic “cheese of the hole” and fto it mature arsenic the temperature wrong the cave remains stable astatine 16-17 degrees each year round. However, escaped access, which was imaginable until the opening of 2000, besides took a dense toll connected the cave. Parasiris does not neglect to notation it each clip successful his tour.

“You person seen some stalactites that are cut. These did not interruption by themselves. Until 25 years ago, whoever wanted could spell successful and retired and take a ‘souvenir.’ Fortunately, astatine some constituent the cave was officially utilized due to the fact that different there would person been thing left. Whatever miracles quality creates, we destruct them,” helium said.

Even astatine the extremity of summer, galore visitors get to spot the affluent decoration and water basins of the largest accessible cave connected Crete.

This powerfulness of quality to make sculpture successful the acheronian is what our usher tries to convey to Greek and overseas visitors during his half-hour tour. The cave, helium says, is beauteous each year round, but there are some who similar it successful the winter when it sometimes rains and drips. Among the rooms, the “Palace” stands out, which resembles a waterfall, arsenic well arsenic the “Parthenon” country – astatine the extremity of the way – which took its sanction from the chiseled columns that lucifer the past temple successful Athens, but besides from the implicit symmetry of the chamber.

“Every year, much than 70,000-80,000 radical visit us from each country of the planet, and galore of them travel backmost again. I retrieve visitors who archetypal came alone, aft a fewer years they brought their children, then their friends. It is simply a cave that astir radical can’t get capable of seeing, and not unfairly,” Parasiris adds arsenic helium bids us farewell, acceptable to welcome the adjacent radical of visitors.

Covering an country of 3,500 square meters, the cave includes a 270-meter-long steel walkway with ropes that allows visitors to spot astir two thirds of the cave and makes it accessible to radical with mobility impairments.