Kouses, Heraklion

Kouses (Κουσές) Heraklion

Kouses is a village with 130 inhabitants in 2001 and a former community of Kainourgiou province in the prefecture of Heraklion. Today it is a homonymous municipal district in the Municipality of Phaistos. Its location is at an altitude of 130m. at the northern foot of the Pyrgos hill (alt. 228 m.) of Asterousia. From there the view is panoramic to the plain of Kato Messara. Its distance from Heraklion is 61.5 km. Very close to the village is Phaistos. The main occupation of the villagers is agriculture. It celebrates on July 25, the day of the celebration of the Assumption of St. Anna. The village is of historical interest, as during the Turkish occupation there was a manor of the large family of Kourmoulis, who were crypto-Christians. According to tradition, a secret school operated in Kuse, with a teacher named Spagos. His name was given to the Spagouliana district.

M.D. Kouses

The Kouses Municipal District has a total population of 158 (2001) and is made up of settlements:

Kouses [130], seat.
Listaros [28]. In the small settlement is the church of Agios Ioannis.

Historical data
Venetian domination

We have a reference to the settlement in Barotsi (1577) with the name Cussé. The village also refers to Kastrofylakas [1] with 76 inhabitants.

Turkish rule

The tower of Kourmoulides.

The crypto-Christians of Kourmouli were a famous family that punished those who mistreated the Christian agades of Messara. During the Revolution of 1821, they fought with the Christians in order to liberate Crete from the Turkish yoke. The family gave the fight 80 warriors, of which only 4 saw the end of the Revolution. The most important member of the family was Filikos and leader of the Revolution in Eastern Crete, Michalis Kourmoulis, who died of his injuries in Hydra in 1824.

Monuments

In Kuse, two towers of the Kourmoulis are preserved, with loopholes. In one of them is the church (catacomb) of Agia Pelagia, where the crypto-Christians secretly gathered and worshiped Christ. Other churches in the village are Agios Antonios, Agios Pantos and Agios Georgios. There is also the Church of the Assumption of St. Anne.

Bibliography

Heraklion and its Prefecture, published by Law. Heraklion.

External links

Data for the village
The Herb - Shop in the village

References

Kastrofylakas, K 103, 1583.

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