Saint John church at Aloida
The simple temple of Saint John the Baptist is located at the small plateau of Aloida, in the region of Mesa Lassithi, at an altitude of 1140 meters in the Dikti mountain range. At that point, next to a spring with fresh water, the chieftain Kapetan Kazanis and his men found shelter after 1821, from where they roamed against the Ottomans. It was Kazanis' group that Rodanthi joined, a woman from Kritsa, dressed like a man, and with the nickname Manolis fought against the Turks.
Today there is a monument for the rebels, and celebrations are held every year. Apart from Kapetan Kazanis, Aloida was a rebel shelter from the Venetian Era to the Second World War. The place is accessed through a dirt road that starts above the village of Mesa Lassithi at Lassithi Plateau.
