Armi Square

Rethymno Province


This peaceful square is anchored by a statue of an unknown solider that honours Anogia's role in WWII. As the main centre of resistance against Nazi occupation, the town was to pay a terrible price. In retaliation for the townspeople's aid in sheltering Allied troops and assistance in the kidnapping of a Nazi general, the Germans razed Anogia to the ground in 1944 and massacred its entire male population.

The monument is also dedicated to the struggle under Ottoman rule, during which Anogia was decimated in 1822 and again in 1867. In mid-August, public events take place to commemorate this sombre history, with a variety of traditional music and dance performances.

Also in the square is the 14th-century Church of St John the Baptist, notable for its original, though faded, Byzantine frescoes.


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