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Scaramella Semibastion
The beautiful colours of the Mediterranean Sea belie the long and painful history of Spinalonga in Crete: once a Venetian fortress and later a leper colony.
I fell in love with Crete.
Greece’s southernmost district, Crete is the country’s largest and most populous island. Nestled between the Aegean and Libyan Seas, it is home to a magnificent coastline and beautiful beaches (eg: Preveli Beach). Populated since time immemorial, there is evidence of human settlement as early as 130,000 years ago. Buildings and ruins date across civilizations (eg: Rethymnon and Lasithi), and even enter into mythology (see: The Minotaur, Mythology, and an Ancient Palace).
What was even greater for me as a solo-traveler staying a bit off the beaten track without a car was that the guided bus trips around the island were a reasonable price! Of course, it is a big island, and I couldn’t see everything, but I did my best to pack in as much as I could.
My third Orange Travel bus tour took me to Spinalonga, a rocky island off the east coast of Crete’s Lasithi Prefecture.
Originally fortified by the Cretans to protect the city of Olous – now sunken ruins under Elounda Bay – the island became deserted in the 7th century following repeated raids across the Mediterranean by Arab pirates.
The Venetians took charge of Crete in 1204. By the mid-15th century, they began to construct salt-pans in the shallow and salty waters around the area of Elounda. The consequential commercial importance of this eastern region, and the rising threat of Turkish invasion, led the Venetians to hire an engineer – Genese Bressani – in 1578 to plan the fortification of Spinalonga.
It is the remains of these magnificent fortifications that give the barren island its distinctive appearance today.
In 1715, the Ottoman Turks captured Spinalonga, thereby taking over the last remaining Venetian fortress in Crete, and remained on the island until 1903 – long after the Christian Cretan insurgents had regained the rest of Crete. From that time until 1957, Spinalonga was used as a leper colony. When the identification of the mycobacteria causing leprosy finally led to effective treatments, people were no longer isolated in the same way, and the only resident remaining on the island was a Greek Orthodox priest. He stayed there until 1962 to observe the Orthodox rituals of commemorating all buried people at regular periods after their death.
Our guide accompanied us through the old village, giving us detailed explanations of the architecture and usage – most of which I have forgotten – before setting us loose. I used my free time to walk around the battlements along the island perimetre, where I admired the contrasts of the rough building stones and the arid, rocky landscape with the jewelled hues of the surrounding sea.
Join me!
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Tourist Boat – Plaka
Tourist boats for Spinalonga leave from the coastal towns of Agios Nikolaos, Elounda, and Plaka.
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Ticket Salesman
We originally got off our bus in Elounda, only to be told the waters on that side were not good and we would meet our boat in Plaka. The boat was not there when we arrived, giving me time to people-watch, …
Spinalonga on the Horizon
… to explore the Plaka waterfront, and to try to get a feel for that rocky island not far away.
Archangelos Coming In
Finally! Our pretty little boat arrives, …
Getting on Archangelos
… and our busload boards.
Prow toward Spinalonga
Eventually we set off …
Those Colours!
… and the impressive Venetian Fortress on Spinalonga comes closer.
Looking Back
Plaka nestles into the hillside behind us.
Doors and Windows
Inside the fortress site, doors, windows, and archways lead off in all directions.
Lines and Shadows
Parts of the village have been renovated over the years, first by the Ottoman, and later by the leper community.
Stairs and Courtyard
Prickly Pear
Some drought-hardy plants survive amid the ruins.
Ancient Tree
Eva
Our guide was a bit of a character!
Corridors through Ancient Stones
Greenery Takes Hold
Contrasts and textures are everywhere.
Old Layers
Light and heat work their way into the old roofless rooms.
Lines and Shadows and Beams
Historic Venetian Tiles
Inside the Ruins
The honeycomb of stairways and half-ruined walls seems to be endless.
Mason
The work to keep the ruins upstanding …
Workman at Rest
… is relentless and tiring.
Outside the Fortress Walls
Old Homes
Tools of the Trade
Our Guide at Rest
Watch Tower
Spinalonga is a seaward bastion-type fortress. The fortified walls, which once housed 35 cannons, were so well built that today it is considered one of the best-preserved fortresses in the Mediterranean Sea.
Colourful Rocks
The landscape is indeed rugged, and the buildings here on the east side of the island blend in. At the top of one hill, the round Mezzaluna Barbariga keeps watch; further down, the plain-looking, later-built, Church of St Georgios keeps the faith.
Waters off the Battlement
In the other direction, the fortress walls stand against the Mediterranean.
Church of St Georgios
As I walk back up the hill, the plain design of the Greek Orthodox church, built around 1661, is more evident. The inside is equally simple.
Leper Cemetery on Donato Bastion
Spinalonga was one of the last active leper colonies in Europe. Near the church, a leper cemetery was constructed on the old Venetian Donato Bastion.
Boats Waiting
As I rounded the last bend, I could see tour boats below: I had just enough time for a coffee and a comfort stop …
Counting Passengers
… before being counted back onto the Archangelos for the journey back.
Boat Returning to Plaka
Ours is not the only tour boat heading to the main island.
Spinalonga from the Water
I appreciate that marvelous Venetian fortress so much more now, after exploring some of its nooks and crannies.
In 1970 the island was declared as a protected archaeological site, and in 2014 it was submitted (so far, without success) for World Heritage Listing.
With its magnificent landscape, architecture, and unique history, the island is definitely worthy of attention and protection.
Here’s hoping none of us have to go through what those with leprosy endured!
Photos: 06September2022
