Stilos
Coordinates: 35°26′N 24°07′E / 35.433°N 24.117°E
Stylos or Stilos (Greek: Στύλος) is a village, part of the Armenoi municipal unit in the Chania regional unit of the Greek island of Crete located where natural springs rise at the foot of the White Mountains on the fertile and tree covered Stylos Valley.
The Greek etymology of the name of the village is 'column' or 'pillar'. No existing topographical or surviving architectural feature could account for this naming.
The village is laid out to the south side of the road from Megala Chorafia to Neo Chorio. The two aisled Byzantine church of Agios Ioannis Theologist stands by the village road, as does a prominent, modern domed church.
Stylos is well known locally for its riverside restaurants shaded by giant plane trees Platanos Orientalis where weddings and Christenings are celebrated. Performances of amplified voice, lyra, laouto guitar and violin can be enjoyed through the night on music nights at the Kritiko Kentro at the Taverna Tou Moustakia which serves generous dishes of locally produced food including notable Cretan salads, one topped with Myzithra cheese.
A new fountain, mini markets and cafes attest to growing prosperity associated with commuters from Chania and Souda, holiday houses in the surrounding hills, rented by continental and British visitors, and a strong agricultural base.
The Etanap (Greek ETANAΠ Α.Ε. - Επιτραπέζιο Νερό ΣΑΜΑΡΙΑ) bottling plant in the village provides exceptional quality mineral water for Crete, mainland Greece and, it plans, the wider world, under the Samaria brand. The Stylos brand appears to be being phased out.
On 26 and 27 May 1941 Stylos was the site of a battle between the New Zealand and Australian rear guard forces and the Austrian 85th Mountain Regiment that successfully delayed the Nazi invaders' pursuit of the Allied retreat to Sfakia. Allied troops that were left behind after the evacuation were subsequently sheltered by locals at great risk of Nazi reprisal. A number of steel helmets from the period hang on the wall of the old village shop.
The land to the north between Stylos and Megala Chorafia is believed to be an important Minoan site, possibly associated with Aptera, or maybe ancient Aptera itself. No systematic excavations have been done but two kilometres north-west of the village at Sternaki there is an excavated Minoan settlement which includes a potter's kiln, a four-roomed building and a Late Minoan tholos tomb with a long dromos.
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Closer to the village, to the north east of the road to Megala Chorafia, the church of the Panagia Serviotisa in the monastery of Agios Ioannis can be seen in the middle of the orange groves. The church can be reached by a narrow track. The church is one of the best examples of Byzantine architecture in Crete. It was built in the middle of the second Byzantine period, the twelfth century, and shows influences of previously developed new forms of church architecture which originated in Constantinople. The church has a cruciform plan based on an equidimensional 'Greek' cross and a dome whose supporting drum is on the intersection of the two aisles. The church was restored in the early 21st century as part of a programme of church restoration throughout the regional unit.
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Next to the church of Ag. Ioannis Theologos, the fossilized remains of a Cretan dwarf elephant Palaeoloxodon chaniensis can be seen.
North of the village, the Gorge of Dyktamou is a shaded and beautiful 3 to 4 hour hike of around 10 km, best taken descending from Katechori at 300m above sea level down to Faraggi (meaning 'Gorge'), a settlement just outside Stylos. Some minor clambering skills might be needed at some points.
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