Church of Zoodohos Pigi at Rouma
Near the village Alagni, on a low hill, lies the deserted village of Rouma. We do not know when it was founded, but it is referred in the census of 1630. Rouma in the Cretan dialect means stream and is taken after the stream next to the village, where a spring with fresh water flows all year round.
The village was suddenly deserted due to plague in the 19th century. The place is considered cursed and it is said that the great plague was caused by this curse. After its abandonment some efforts were made to reinhabit Rouma but diseases always decimated the village. Today only the foundations of the old houses remind of that place.
At the east part of the village we meet the church of the Life Giving Fountain (Zoodohos Pigi) in very good condition, a real gem. Inside, there is one of the most well preserved arcosolia of Crete where probably the founder of the temple is buried.
