Melissourgaki

Melissourgaki is a small settlement of the prefecture of Rethymno located approximately 32 km far from the city of Rethymno and almost 6 km from the Perama village.

At an altitude of 330 meters, the Melissourgaki village is facing the sea in an idyllic location in a mountainous province of Mylopotamos, surrounded by dense olive groves.

The name of the village Melissourgaki refers to the Byzantine Melissenos family, although, in fact, no source shows any relation of the village to these specific feudal lords.

The settlement of Melissourgaki still maintains its traditional character with many buildings surviving from the Ottoman period. The church of Agios Georgios is located in the main square of the village, while some Venetian monasteries are scattered in the area around it. The old monastery of the Virgin of Vaté, probably operating as of the first period of the Venetian rule, existed somewhere near the village and was a glebe of the Asomaton monastery. In the current cemetery of the village, the chapel of Agios Stefanos stands.

Near the Melissourgaki village there is the cave of Yiánnakas, where the villagers used to place the turrets. A traditional hotel complex is currently operating in the area.