PANORMO
In the hey-day of steam travel, Panormo, far from being the
quiet village of today, was flourishing small town.
It had beautiful buildings, shops and warehouses used for storing
agricultural products from the surrounding farmland, which
were to be exported, as well as consumer goods that had been
imported. Its little bay made a perfect harbour for the calling
steamships; with the establishment of the national road however,
and improved communication between Rethymno and Heraklio, the
importance of Panormo as a mercantile centre dwindled, and
the focus of trade activity in the area shifted to the nearby,
previously insignificant hamlet of Perama.
The new village of Panormo is situated on the same spot
as was the ancient village, which was seaport of the town
of Eleftherna. During the Venetian occupation, however, the
settlement apparently ceased to exist, as there was no mention
of it in either the Venetian census, or in those conducted
by Turks in 1671 and 1881. And yet, during the Venetian occupation
the name of the place must have been known, because it appears
on the map of Crete by Coroneli, east of Castel Milopotamo,
and is described as a Mediterranean village with an adjoining
hillock named Monte Panormo. Furthermore, the village is
referred to in Andrea Cornatos Historia Candiana p.114: ....
Near a hillock you may observe traces of the proud and beautiful
town of Panormo, the name of which is still used today. A
further historic source, Pashley says: ....the remains
of Panormo are still seen not far from the shore on a low
hill near the ruins of Castle Milopotamo and they still retain
their ancient name.
Panormo existed during the second Byzantine period, when
it was host too the Seat of Episcopacy of Milopotamos (Formerly
Eleftherna). When the fortress of Milopotamo was build by
Pescatore, the village of Panormo, being the nearest to the
fortress, was linked to it and hence named Kasteli. It kept
the name until the beginning of this century.
The fortress was oval-shaped, with seven keeps and two
gates. In 1538 it was destroyed by the pirate Barbarossa.
In 1647
after having been rebuild, it was taken by the Turks. The
Venetians - under the command of General Gildasi -
desperately tried to recapture the castle, but without success.
To the north-west of Panormo excavations carried out by
K.Kalokyris and N.Platonas in 1948 revealed a Christian basilica
with
a wooden roof dating back to possibly the 5th century and
dedicated to Aghia Sofia. It had been violently destroyed
before the first Byzantine period. Panormo was also home
to Agathopous, one of the ten martyrs, who sacrificed themselves
at Gortyna in 250 A.D.
Part of the text is taken from the book CRETE by S. Spanakis.
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