Tag: greecetravelgr1
Spinalónga, Lasithi, Greece
In 2010 one of the most expensive Greek television productions premiered on Mega channel, a Greek national wide coverage TV network. The series was based on the best selling novel of Victoria Hislop, 'The island' and was able to attract 6 out of 10 people watching TV at the time each episode was aired. More than 3.5 million people watched the premier and each subsequent episode. The filming took place on the original locations including Plaka, Spinalonga, Elounda amd Agios Nikolaos. The series was a huge success and gave a lot of publicity to the island as many Greeks wanted to visit the locations their favorite show was filmed.
Spinalónga, Lasithi, Greece
In 2005 novelist Victoria Hislop published a book called 'The Island'. The book was inspired by the dramatic stories of a family that had strong ties with the Spinalonga island during the operation of the leper hospital. A well written book that gives insights on the life within the leper colony but also the perception of healthy people at the time. The book tells stories of love, separation, pain and happiness in a vivid and touching way that will absorb any reader. I can't think a better book to read at the beach for someone having its vacations on Crete. The book was translated in several languages and sold more than a million copies
Spinalónga, Lasithi, Greece
The last inhabitant left Spinalonga in 1962. He was the father Chrisanthos a priest of the Greek Orthodox Church who spent 5 years more on Spinalonga after its abandonment to maintain the religious tradition to memorialize buried people at 3 and 5 years after their deaths. Father Chrisanthos was not a leper and never got ill from the disease during the years he spent on the island. He became a legend for the people of Spinalonga when he decided to drink last from the holy communion (this is what a priest is supposed to do) and not throw the communion away as his predecessor did before him.
Elounda Port
The first treatment for leprosy was introduced in the 1940s but it took 10 more years for a more effective drug against the Hansen disease. In 1957 Spinalonga's leprosy hospital was decided to terminate operation. The cured patients, were allowed to return to their families while some more severe cases were transferred to other hospital in Athens to continue treatment.
Spinalónga, Lasithi, Greece
Leprosy perhaps is one of the oldest documented human diseases and references can be found in texts written thousands years ago. The disease leaves marks on the skin mostly on limps and face that give a terrifying look to people infected. For this reason, lepers were treated as unclean and became outcasts of the society. The biblical perception of leprosy was that people infected were punished by the god for their sins. Today, we know that the disease is curable, is caused by bacteria and most of people are immune to it.
Spinalónga, Lasithi, Greece
Life on Spinalonga was far from being easy. Many times the leper patients on the island had to uprise in order to gain some basic benefits for their survival. In 1936 the 21 years old leper Epaminondas Remountakis, a law student from Crete was brought to the island. He was a very active man with strong will who was able to organize the lepers and create the 'Brotherhood of Spinalonga Patients". Very soon he managed to find lime to paint and decontaminate the houses of Spinalonga, while he fought to find and bring to the island an electricity generator to light up the streets during night.
Spinalónga, Lasithi, Greece
Lepers were living banished from civilization for centuries. Many of them found refuge in caves. The Spinalonga leper hospital allowed them to have access to medical care, to live in a organized society while food, water and houses were provided by the state. Lepers had a social life and some of them got married on the island
Spinalónga, Lasithi, Greece
When the lepers arrived in Spinalonga they had to go through from one of the two entrances of the fortress. This entrance was a long, wet and dark tunnel. People gave the name "The Dante's Gate" to the entrance because they didn't know what was expecting them at the other side.
