Margarites of Rethymno: The village that has a different story to tell

The beautiful Margarites, of Crete, is a mountain village in the prefecture of Rethymno that holds firmly the scepter of the king of pottery. Also known as the settlement of "Pitharades", visiting its amazing place you will have the opportunity to admire abundant clay masterpieces, against the background of the unique scenery that surrounds its landscape. So we left to explore the wonderful Cretan Margarites.

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Margarites of Rethymno: Where the heart of pottery beats

At every step you take, as you walk through the cobbled streets of this picturesque village you will see various works of art made with their first material, of course clay. Clay pots and jars decorate from end to end the narrow streets and the flowered gardens of Margarites with their beautiful colors and shapes. Pottery flourished in this amazing place due to the existence of rich deposits of clay soil located in the area. This presence made pottery a landmark of the village, turning Margarites into one of the most important pottery centers of the entire country.

At every step you take, as you walk through the cobbled streets of this picturesque village you will see various works of art made with their first material, of course clay. Clay pots and jars decorate from end to end the narrow streets and the flowered gardens of Margarites with their beautiful colors and shapes. Pottery flourished in this amazing place due to the existence of rich deposits of clay soil located in the area. This presence made pottery a landmark of the village, turning Margarites into one of the most important pottery centers of the entire country.

The 16 workshops dealing with ceramic art along the settlement create real masterpieces, confusing the old with the new, tradition with modernism, impressing every visitor, who can follow the journey of a vase, from the first minute of its creation in the hands of potters, with the wheel and the furnace as their ally. The local name of these traditional workshops is "Tsikalaria". A name that stems from the construction of the homonymous pots or otherwise tsikali that were dealt with in the past.

Despite the tourist reception of their ceramics, with foreign visitors preferring to shop for anything that bears an ancient Greek aura, clay artists do not see their occupation with ceramics simply as work. In fact, as testimonies indicate in the tribute of the website travel.gr pottery functions as an escape from the difficult everyday life that life brings in a mountainous landscape. An inextricable connection with tradition that transfers from generation to generation not only the style but also the love for art and material, which is reflected in the passion that dresses the production process.

Margarites: A picturesque settlement with a history

Margarites carry in their picturesque environment a rich history, with the abbot who was the leader of the blowing up of the monastery of Arkadi born in the area. The 14th century finds the village burned to the ground by the hands of the Venetians as punishment for the revolt of the inhabitants against the unbearable taxes that had been imposed on them. After the catastrophe always comes the bloom and so it was with the Cretan renaissance. A period when the settlement begins to be adorned with houses and churches of unique architectural value.

Wander around their beautiful surroundings to meet the monastery of Christ the Savior and Saint Gydeon, with a life span of more than five centuries, but with the primacy of antiquity held by the church of Agios Ioannis Theologos, with its wonderful iconostasis made of stone. Go just outside the village to discover the most important sight, perhaps of the whole prefecture: the dome-shaped funerary monument from the late Minoan period dating back to the very distant 1350 BC. Do not miss the opportunity to hike to the ancient Greek bridge of Eleftherna in the shape of an arc to enjoy not only the artistic but also the verdant aspect of the scenery, Having on your side the green cypress trees, but also the impressive view of the gorges that extend in the area.

Just so you know: The name of the Daisies carries behind it various theories about its origin. The one that has prevailed is the one that he considers to come from the word "magarika", with the letter "r" added below. The meaning of this word in Byzantine times was synonymous with the term "clay".

Margarites of Rethymno, the village of Pitharades, await you to show you pieces of art, the environment, and its history, making you, in this way, definitely love its amazing place.

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