Agriolidis Tower
Agriolidis was a terrible janissary in Messara plain, who lived during the Greek Revolutions of 1821. He resided in a 17th century chateau in the village of Agios Ioannis, near Phaestus, which still survives. Agriolidis had turned his house to a fortified tower. Herein, the heroic Greek doctor Dimitrios Varouhas (widely known in Crete as Logios) from Agios Thomas was killed on March 6, 1811, when he tried to kill Agriolidis.
Logios entered the tower alone, while his friends waited for him nearby, after the black servant of Agriolidis, Mertzanis, opened the door after agreement. Once he entered the building, he started climbing the stairs towards the bedroom of Agriolidis and the traitor Mertzanis shouted loudly "Aga Aga”. At the same time, the guards started shooting on Logios. The brave man managed to kill the black traitor, but he was also fatally wounded in his thigh. He crawled bleeding at so Dimitrios Varouhas (Logios) managed to leave the tower, but he died from profuse bleeding. His friends thought that Logios had achieved his missio, but he was lying dead in Falandriani Korfi, where his tomb is still visitable (coordinates here).
Several years later, in 1828, Logios’ mates, namely Malikoutis, Xopateras, Korakas and Romanos, took revenge by slaying Agriolidis in Kapariana, near Mires.
Agriolidis owned another tower near Timbaki, which was then an insignificant village due to malaria. The tower was built by the Turks to control the passages from Messara to/from West Crete. There was a permanent garrison under the command of Agriolidis. In 1822, after the Turks suffered a terrible defeat in Timbaki, Agriolidis and some Turks were trapped inside the tower. Then, he asked the help of the Greek Michael Kourmoulis, who was rescued by Agriolidis. Thus, Kourmoulis, after disarming them, released the Turks.
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