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Vryses

The Vryses village is located in the prefecture of Rethymno, between the villages of Gerakaris and Ano Meros, approximately 44 km far from the city of Rethymno.

In a valley verdant with fruit trees on the northern slopes of Mount Kedros, at an altitude of 600 meters, the village Vryses lies. From this area indeed, the Lygiotis River flows out and falls into Agia Galini later.

Today, the village of Vryses has less than 100 residents. It is reputed that the village took its name from the many springs that existed in the area (vrysi=faucet, tap), while according to the version of the locals, in the past, this whole area was a lake.

The village Vryses was founded between the 12th and 13th centuries by the residents of the currently abandoned settlement of Smylé. During the Turkish occupation it was considered a wonderful and fertile place, so it was inhabited by Turkish Agas. Today, ruins of the old mosque and other Muslim buildings can still be seen in the area.

In 1823, the Vryses village became the headquarters of a fighter Emmanuel Tompazis, hailing from Hydra, and his administration and of the Revolutionary Assembly. Just like other neighboring villages, on August 22 in 1944, the village of Vryses was plundered and destroyed by strong German forces.

The temples of the Vryses village are scattered and inextricably connected with the history of the settlement. Such examples are the parish church of Agios Georgios, the church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary with the pictorial decoration and sculptural elements of Venetian influence, which were restored in recent years, and Panagia Kryoneritissa, a picturesque chapel on the slopes of the mountain Kedros.

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