Maroulas 1

Maroulas, a village set at 240 metres above sea level near Rethymno in Crete, is a medieval settlement of genuine character: narrow lanes, crenellated old houses, heraldic shields over doorways and arched passages. Of its two surviving Venetian towers, the one known as Maroulas I stands at the village centre, a commanding presence visible from afar. Rising fourteen metres over three floors, it was probably built in the sixteenth century, or a little earlier, and likely served as a nobleman's residence. The settlement took shape under Venetian rule, and after the Ottoman occupation of 1647 the towers became a military base, remaining in use until the twentieth century. In 1922 Greek refugees from Asia Minor were housed there, and the buildings were only abandoned after the Second World War. A third, Byzantine tower once stood in the village but has vanished entirely. Maroulas I was renovated by the Municipality of Rethymno in the mid-1990s and remains in good condition.