1821-1830
The province of Agios Vasilios in revolutionary Crete

In March 1821, the revolution broke out in the Peloponnese and spread rapidly to the rest of Greece. A climate of terrorism and oppression dominated Crete during this era. The Turks tried to prevent future revolutions through severe restrictions and massacres of those they considered dangerous of overthrowing the Ottoman Empire.

However, the desire for freedom remained unquenchable on the island. Indeed, with the spread of the Philike Hetaireia, Melchisedek Tsouderos, Hegumen of Preveli Monastery, was among of the first to take the sacred oath. He offered shelter to every persecuted person and remained in correspondence with Patriarch Gregory.

Improperly equipped, unprepared and isolated from almost all of the rest of Greece, the Cretans, after a short delay, entered the struggle dynamically. They responded to the nationwide call for uprising, despite the pressure and numerical superiority of the enemy of approximately 20,000 well-equipped soldiers, while the armed Cretans were only 1,200 in number.

So, on April 7th, 1821, in the Glyka Nera, Sfakia, the Sfakian primates met in secret and decide to participate in the struggle, but also to stir the island’s leaders, so that the struggle for independence would flare up at the same time throughout the island. A few days later, on April 15th, 1821 in Loutro, Sfakia, the same decision was ratified.

The contribution of the province of Agios Vasilios (Lampi) would prove decisive, thanks to leading personalities of the region, as well as the militancy of the people of Agios Vasilios.