Elafonisi ( "deer island") is an island located close to the southwestern corner of the
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...
island of
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 ...
, of which it is administratively a part, in the municipality of
Kissamos
Kissamos () is a town and a municipality in the west of the island of Crete, Greece. It is part of the Chania regional unit and of the former Kissamos Province which covers the northwest corner of the island. The town of Kissamos is also known as ...
of the regional unit of
Chania
Chania (, , ), also sometimes romanization of Greek, romanized as Hania, is a city in Greece and the capital of the Chania (regional unit), Chania regional unit. It lies along the north west coast of the island Crete, about west of Rethymno ...
. When the weather is fine it is possible to walk to the island through the shallow water. The island is a protected nature reserve.
It is known for its
pink sand beaches, created by tidal and wave-induced deposits of pigmented microorganisms living in a symbiotic relationship with native seaweed.
Greek War of Independence
At the highest point on the island there is a plaque that commemorates a tragic event. On Easter Sunday of 18 April 1824 several hundred Greeks, mostly women and children, were killed on Elafonisi by Ottoman soldiers. To avoid advancing Turkish Ottoman troops, forty armed men had taken refuge on the island with women, children and old folk where they were waiting for a ship to take them to the
Ionian Islands
The Ionian Islands (Modern Greek: , ; Ancient Greek, Katharevousa: , ) are a archipelago, group of islands in the Ionian Sea, west of mainland Greece. They are traditionally called the Heptanese ("Seven Islands"; , ''Heptanēsa'' or , ''Heptanē ...
. The Ottoman soldiers had decided to camp on the beach opposite the island. One of their horses walked along the shallow water to the island and the people hiding on the island were discovered. According to several sources there were between 640 and 850 people in total, most of whom were killed and the remaining survivors were sold into slavery in Egypt.
Shipwreck of the ''Imperatrix''
A large wooden cross commemorates a shipwreck from 22 February 1907. It was an
Österreichischer Lloyd
''Österreichischer Lloyd'' (, ) was the largest Austro-Hungarian shipping company. It was founded in 1833. It was based at Trieste in the Austrian Littoral, the main port of the Cisleithanian (Austrian) half of the Dual Monarchy.
As a result ...
passenger steamer, called the ''Imperatrix''. Due to strong northwest winds 38 people died in a lifeboat that tried to reach the shore. They were all buried on the island. The ''Imperatrix'' still lies on the seabed in front of the island's cliffs and was the reason that a lighthouse was built on an island hilltop.
The lighthouse was destroyed during the Second World War by the occupying German troops.
Kissamoslive (clubs.pathfinder.gr)
(Greek)
Gallery
File:Gatm 2006-05-14 19 Greece Crete Elafanissos.jpg, Elafonisi beach
File:Elafonissos R01.jpg, Elafonisi island in the distance from the coast of Crete.
File:Chrysoskalitissa R02.jpg, Chrysoskalitissa monastery.
See also
* List of settlements in the Chania regional unit
References
External links
See Chania Region for maps
Municipality description
{{Cretan islands
Populated places in Chania (regional unit)
Kissamos
Castles in Greece
Greek War of Independence
Provinces of Greece
Catholic titular sees in Europe
Landforms of Chania (regional unit)
Uninhabited islands of Crete
Mediterranean islands
Lighthouses in Greece
Shipwrecks of Greece
Protected areas of Greece
Islands of Greece