Worship the heroes, chat with the gods, gain impressions, emotions and inspiration in the sacred underground-cave kingdom, whose name is Melidoni.
Let's face it, everything in life is close at hand - evil and good, faith and godlessness, heroism and cowardice. So this is the place where we invite you - beautiful and terrible at the same time. For it is ruled by beauty and sorrow. The Cave of Melidoni is for some a divine natural monument, for others a stone Requiem for the faithful sons of Crete. Where no one is forgotten, and nothing is forgotten ...
In those ancient times, called by the scholars as Minoan era (about four thousand years ago), between today's Rethymno and Heraklion, a piece of rock fell off the mountain. "Big deal," you might say, "tectonic processes, normal!" Of course, who can argue, but the stone block that fell thousands of years ago revealed another mystery of Crete: the entrance to the legendary cave.
Even then, thousands of years old stalactites grew steadily downwards, while the stalagmites reached upwards just as persistently. Slowly, slowly, in fractions of a millimeter per year, they decorated their voids in the rock. The picture was phantasmagorical - the mineral outgrowths on the walls and inside the halls resembled bizarre plots, stirred the imagination, excited the imagination.
Now no one will ever know who was the first to descend into the cave near which the village of Melidoni stands today. Neither will anyone tell who called this treasure house of Greece the Melidoni Cave.
But remember Shakespeare: "What is the name? A rose smells like a rose, whether you call it a rose or not!" This is about as well as can be said of this treasury-no matter how it is called, it does not become any less mysterious, beautiful, and visitable. That is why the Greeks call it the Gerontospilos Cave, and the guests of Hellas call it the Melidoni Cave.
Well, is it time to enter the cave? So, imagine - in front of you is an arch - 4 m wide and 2,5 m high. We go down slowly, the steps are slippery. But not because somebody "spilled oil on them", not at all - moisture is the eternal companion of the cave. It's thanks to the finely dispersed particles of water, always present there, grows and grows a beautiful underground decor - the majestic stalactites and stalagmites.
Well, here we finally descended, admiring the yellow and green local beauties. Such illumination fills the space with mystery, and the feeling of servility before the divine power of nature arises in the soul.
Maybe that's why people have been praying, begging, repenting here since the Minoan times. The sacred place, the Melidoni Cave on Crete, has been attracting the worshipers of Zeus and Hermes since ancient times, as evidenced by the inscriptions on the walls.
And you know, they say here lived ... the ancient cyborg, Talos, - a bronze giant, created by Zeus to protect his homeland, Crete, from different villains-enemies. Too bad, this mythical "robot" didn't leave anything behind. Wait, though - over there, in the cave, on the left, you see - "The Old Woman's Oven" - a tiny room where perhaps he roasted game. Or something else. Or maybe the ancient "iron defender" did quite well without food, and, therefore, he didn't need the granny stove...
But anyway, in the cave was found a lot of artifacts dating from the Neolithic period (bones of killed little animals, stone knives and even double-edged hatchets - symbolizing present day Crete). Crete). In prehistoric times (about 2.5 thousand years ago) gods were worshipped to the utmost here. Well think yourself - why else would there be vessels, lamps and bowls left in the cave Melidoni, without which you can't hold any religious ritual? Today, most of these treasures are preserved in Rethymnon, in the Archaeological Museum. Go there, there is a lot to see!
Going down into the Melidoni Cave, you will of course notice the marble sarcophagus in the main hall and the humble cross above it. This underground "pantheon" cherishes the memory of the 400 heroes who did not want to surrender to the mercy of the Turks who promised to keep them alive.
At that time, the Cretans fought the Ottoman invaders, trying to throw off the burden of submission forever. In October 1823, 30 Greek warriors and 370 residents of Melidoni hid in a cave, burying themselves from their enemies. The siege lasted a long time. In January 1824 the Turks, after another refusal to surrender, surrounded the entrance with brushwood and set it on fire.
Thus fell the civilians and the soldiers of Crete, preferring death to captivity. And for this feat the main hall of the cave was named "Hall of Heroes". Eternal memory to them... Look at the walls of this hall - on them left the death mask of Sorrow.
Actually, there are many halls, passages, and corridors in this underground kingdom. Except that not all of them are open for viewing. But when you pass from the "Hall of Heroes" to the "Crossroads", feel free to turn right and... well, what are you frozen - yes, this is a "dream come true"!
In the room of "Paslay" the frozen columns and garlands of stalactites-stalagmites, in the light of yellow-green light, give birth to incredible pictures - cosmic landscapes, revived legends, and the whims of the universe. Everyone sees his own things here - that's what the Melodini Cave is for, to change perceptions, to shift stereotypes and to amaze with metamorphoses.
If you want to see all of this, come to Greece, the birthplace of the Olympian gods, the island of Crete. And there you go to the Melidoni Cave. Bow to the heroes, chat with the gods, say hello to the protector Talos. But most importantly, gain impressions, emotions and inspiration - believe me, doing it in the sacred underground cave kingdom, whose name is Melidoni, is as easy as coming to Crete.
