Location information

Therisos

THERISSO (Village) CHANIA
  This important and historical village is 15km south of Chania on the road Chania - Pervolia - Therisos which goes through the 6km Therisos Gorge. The village is famous for cheese-making and another important occupation is animal husbandry. From Therisos you can climb Pahnes (2,452m), the highest peak of the Lefka Ori. It is, however, easier to do it from Agios Ioannis in Sfakia. Many significant battles in the revolution against the Turks took place in Therisos. The Halides brothers, well-known fighters against the Turks, were from Therisos. The Eleftherios Venizelos Centre for Independence is in Therisos.

This text is cited Oct 2002 from the Crete TOURnet URL below, which contains image.

Crete TOURnet WebPage
• http://www.crete.tournet.gr/MainArea.jdp?ID=28 (4 img.)

Due to its location Therisso played a significant role at the history of the island. A mill stone at the entrance of the village reminds the death of a young woman (grinded alive), when she denied to withdraw to Moustafa Pasha. Here were born the great Cretan revolutionists (Hainis), Vassilis, Giannis and Stefanos Halis. Vassilis Halis, became a hainis very young, and participated to the most great battles against the Turks in Crete and Peloponnissos.
But Therisso is mostly known for its relation with the Venizelos movement in March 1905. Venizelos, who dissented with prince George' policy and declared the Union of Crete with Greece, had his headquarters at Therisso.
2,5 km north of Therisso, at the left bank of Kladissos river, there is a cave where signs of neolithic and Minoan habitation were discovered.

• http://www.ellada.net/crete-info/therisso.html

Therissos

According to the historian Psilakis the central committee of the revolution, for his excellent intellectual and military abilities, honored Basil Halis. He was awarded the office of a Marshal. Stefanos was one of the finest men born in Crete. He was an excellent singer and he used to play the Cretan lyra ( local music instrument ). He was educated and very kind at heart. He fought like a lion and never stopped singing, even at the time of the fight. He was killed in August 1821 during the battle that took place in Aliakes, a beautiful location south of Therisos, with a lot of plane trees, water and quietness. But Therisos was mostly known for the events in 1905. After successive efforts by Cretan people to get rid of the Turkish tyrant yoke and especially after the slaughtering of the Cretan people in Chania, 700 Christians in Heraklion and 17 English soldiers between 1897 and 1898, the Great Powers (England, France, Italy and Russia) had to take it upon themselves to protect Crete.
Therefore, after the agreement, they asked Prince George to rule Crete. He was the son of the King of Greece George the 1st. In 1898 he was triumphantly received in Souda port by crowds of people and the head of the four admirals of the protecting countries that is by the French Potie, the English Noel, the Italian Betolo and the Russian Skrithlof. The Constitution, which was passed at that time, gave great power and authority to Prince George so that the newly founded state was more easily governed. This Constitution was valid for three years. Venizelos, who was at the time a young lawyer in Chania, co-operated with the Prince and was his major counselor for justice issues. It was then that the independent Cretan County developed an authoritarian personality and some arbitrary decisions of his in national affairs rose a conflict between him and Venizelos Consequently there was a rupture of their friendly relations.
On March 10th1905 Eleftherios Venizelos and other Cretan leaders (there were 1500 people half of them armed) went up to Therisos and declared the Cretan Revolution with the goal of not spilling their brothers' blood. During the nine months of conflict the three leaders of the rebels (El. Venizelos, Kon. Foumis, Kon. Manos) set up their headquarters in Therisos. Their goal was to create a liberal government and the Union of Crete with Mother Greece.
DECREE:
"The Cretan people in a rally in Therisos in Kydonia where all people took part today on March 10th 1905, declare before God and People their political Union to the Kingdom of Greece and the development of one unbreakable, liberal and constitutional state". Prince George asks the Great Powers to help him repress the mutiny and ordered a lot of arrests. But nothing could stop the people. There were massive desertions of the government policemen and finally, after long and exhaustive negotiations, they reached the following agreement : 1) The rebels had to hand over their weapons. 2) All the deserter-policemen could flee to Greece without running any danger. 3) All the forces, which supported Prince George, would break up immediately. George was forced to resign and left at night as if he was persecuted. That was the historical event, which led the way to the long-wanted Union of Crete to Greece.

This text is cited Dec 2001 from a WebPage of the Municipality of Therissos.