Kissos Fountain
What characterizes the village Kissos in the province of Agios Vasilios in Rethymnon, like all the villages located in the root of Kedros mount, are the many water springs. In the central square of the deserted village we meet the beautiful square with the old plane tree. Geroplatanos (Old plane tree) are actually two plane trees close to one another, and one specifically is one of the biggest in Crete and has a really impressive trunk. The trees cover up the entire square. The village square is essentially a large concrete balcony, a projection of the road. Below this concrete construction, a real treasure is hidden. This is the central fountain of the village with clean water all year round.
It shall be dated back to the Ottoman period. What makes it so important is that the carved representations and symbols come from two different religions; Christian orthodoxy and Islam. Specifically, the fountain is adorned by two straight and tall cypress trees which are sacred for the Muslims and symbolize paradise where everything is cool and water is always flowing. Along with the two cypresses, the fountain is adorned by the Vine, the sacred symbol of Christ and a two-headed eagle, the dominant symbol of Orthodoxy. At the underside, we also find two heads of dragons, one of the most familiar Christian symbols in the Cretan carved wooden shrines.
