Kourmoulis Towers at Kouses
The village Kouses is located west of Pompia and 62km southwest of Heraklion. Here lived the crypto-Christian family of Kourmoulis, numbering around 100 families in 1821.
The first member of Kourmoulis family settled in Kouses, in around 1680. The family maintained their Christian faith and when the Great Revolution of 1821 broke up they revealed themselves and more than 100 members were killed in 1821-1830.
Kourmoulis owned the two towers in Kouses, which were Venetian and very well fortified. The towers were equipped with battlements, warehouses and a basement with a hidden church, where they baptized their children, had their weddings, attended the Holy Communion, etc.
In these towers, Michael Kourmoulis hosted the heroic Logios and planned the murder of the janissary Agriolidis. However, the mission resulted in the death of Logios.
In these towers, Kourmoulis hosted the Turkish officials. Indeed, it is reported that when he hosted Sheriff Pasha, he saw him coming out of the church of Saint Pelagia, along with other people. Then, Kourmoulis told Pasha that "It is necessary for the safety of our beloved Sultan, to watch the Greeks even in their church”.
Another time, Kourmoulis managed to have a powerful alibi, when he killed the Turkish official of Mesara Plain. He slept with his hosted officers of Pasha, who came spy him, at the roof of the tower. While they were sleeping, Kourmoulis along with his brother, woke up and ran to the village Alithini and killed the janissary Merametalis. Then, he returned to Kouses and laid on his bed, having a strong alibi.
Today, the two towers Kourmoulis in Kouses survive in very good condition, along with the catacomb - church of Saint Pelagia.
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