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Gerani

Gerani is a village in the prefecture of Rethymno, located 9 km far from the city of Rethymno, in close proximity to the new national road Rethymno-Chania, at an altitude of 90 meters.

The village has been mentioned in all the Venetian, Turkish and Egyptian censuses of the 16th and 17th centuries. Moreover, in a Turkish document of 1672, it is stated that the village was a glebe of charity institution of Sultan Ibrahim Khan, whose homonymous mosque stands today in the city of Rethymno. However, it was probably inhabited earlier, during the Byzantine era, near the sea, in the bay with a little harbor. The pirate raids were the cause for a retreat to the current location of the village.

Amidst a lush landscape of olive trees, oaks and carob trees and overlooking the Cretan sea, Gerani is a tourist village with the necessary infrastructure including hotels, taverns, restaurants, and cafes.

Gerani got its name from the gerani, a pump used in the old days to draw water from a well, which was the only one in the region.

The birthplace of Apostolos Geraniotis, who along with Stavrianos Biris was the terror of the Turks all over the county, has many major attractions to offer to the visitor. But the most distinguishing is the Gerani cave, which displays magnificent stalagmites. There is also the village primary school, founded in 1899 during the period of the Cretan State. From the large three-story tower that existed in the village in the 16th century, today, only one floor is preserved.

The parish church of Gerani is the church of Agios Georgios built in 1888, while other churches are the church of the Christ the Savior, at the entrance of the village, the church of Agia Paraskevi, the church of Agios Antonios and the church of Agios Theodoros. The most important old church is Panagia Kamariani built on the seafront, near which, in summer, guests can enjoy the crystal clear waters of the  Gerani beach .

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