Amnatos is a local community of the Rethymno Municipality in the

Rethymno (regional unit) Rethymno () is one of the four regional units of Crete, Greece. Its capital is the city of Rethymno. Today, its main income is tourism. The countryside is also based economically on agriculture and herding. Administration The regional unit Rethy ...

of the

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

established by

Kallikratis reform The Kallikratis Programme () is the common name of Greek law 3852/2010 of 2010, a major administrative reform in Greece. It brought about the second major reform of the country's administrative divisions following the 1997 Kapodistrias reform. ...

. Previously, it was part of the municipal district of Municipality of Arkadi. Amnatos is a traditional settlement and is classified in Class II, that is of "average cultural value" (''Government Gazette'' 728/21-9-1995). Buildings with Venetian architectural elements are scattered throughout the village. In 2005 Amnatos received an award of the "cleaner and organized traditional community".

Geography

It is located on the northeastern edges of the Gargano mountain, 17 km (10.6 miles) southeast of

Rethymno Rethymno (also Rethymnon; ) is a city in Greece on the island of Crete. It is the capital of Rethymno regional unit, and has a population of more than 35,000 inhabitants (nearly 40,000 for the municipal unit). It is believed to have been built ...

, on the way to

Arkadi Arkadi () is a former municipality in the Rethymno regional unit, Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Rethymno, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of . Population 7,154 ...

, at an altitude of 320 m. It has a view of the North Sea and the Cretan mountain Psiloreitis.

Origin of name and history

The location of the village appears to have been inhabited since ancient times and it is believed that the name ''Amnatos'' has Minoan origin. Ancient Greeks used to call ''amnion'' all those vessels used at their time to collect the blood of sacrificed animals. The area was occupied by the Venetians and the

Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...

. Nowadays, the local community of Amnatos consists of four settlements: Amnatos, Kapsaliana (''Καψαλιανά''), Pikris (''Πίκρης'') and the

Arkadi Monastery The Arkadi Monastery (, ) is an Eastern Orthodox monastery, situated on a fertile plateau 23 km (14 mi) to the southeast of Rethymno on the island of Crete in Greece. The current catholicon (church) dates back to the 16th century and d ...

. ;Population of Amnatos

Attractions: monuments, temples, and important buildings

Among the many Venetian buildings in the village of Amnatos, there is a house with a particularly impressive doorframe. The crown of the gable has the inscription: "INITIUM SAPIENTE TIMOR DOMINI" (in English: "The Beginning of Wisdom is Fear of the Lord"). There is also a folk museum and a Municipal Museum of the History of Greek Education. Amnatos is the home village of Harikleia Daskalaki, a heroine of the

holocaust. A statue of her is found in the square of the village.

Transportation

There is bus service ( KTEL) from and to Rethymnon in this area (route for Arkadi Monastery, which has three services on weekdays and two on weekends). ΚΤΕΛ Χανίων - Ρεθύμνου - Αρχική
(Bus timetables, Chromonastiri (in German)]), retrieved 2016-07-09

References

External links

Photo Gallery, Web site of municipality of Rethymnno
retrieved 9 April 2012
ΡΕΘΥΜΝΟ ΔΙΑΚΟΠΕΣ ΞΕΝΟΔΟΧΕΙΑ ΕΝΟΙΚΙΑΖΟΜΕΝΑ ΔΩΜΑΤΙΑ ΒΙΛΕΣ ΚΡΗΤΗ. ΡΕΘΥΜΝΟ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΣΜΟΣ ΦΥΣΗ ΠΑΡΑΔΟΣΗ , Ελληνικά , Καλωσορίσατε στον δικτυακό τόπο του Ρεθύμνου - Τουριστική Προβολή (Cycling routes, Web site of municipality of Rethymnno)
retrieved 9 April 2012 {{Rethymno div Populated places in Rethymno (regional unit)