Damasta: Elevation and local history

Damasta combines a distinctive mountain setting with cultural sites in the village and historic memorial sites in the surrounding area. If you are planning a stay, you can consider the village from both perspectives: its landscape and its local cultural history.

Location and orientation

Damasta is situated in an amphitheatrical setting on the northern slopes of Koiti Hill, at an elevation of 415 m in the Psiloritis mountain range. The description combines a specific orientation on the slope with the village’s location in the mountain range; the elevation adds a measurable point of reference to both. Here, “amphitheatrical” describes the village’s position on the slope. This lets you consider the landscape as a distinct aspect when choosing a destination, alongside Damasta’s historic sites.

Damasta is 27 km from Heraklion. This distance adds a second geographic point of reference to the elevation. The figures answer different questions about orientation: 415 m is the village’s elevation, while 27 km is its distance from Heraklion. You can take both into account when considering the destination.

Church and folk museum

The Church of Agios Georgios and Agios Dimitrios is Damasta’s patron church and one of the village’s oldest churches. One of its dated features is the iconostasis, dating from 1795. An iconostasis is a screen decorated with icons inside a church. The church was renovated in 1894: the two dates therefore refer to different things—1795 dates the iconostasis, while 1894 marks the renovation of the building. Together, these details provide a specific historical context for the church. As the patron church, it represents Damasta’s religious history.

A small folk museum established by Damasta’s cultural association is located below the church. It is considered worth visiting and complements the religious perspective with a focus on local folklore. If you would like to include a museum visit in your plans, check in advance for visiting arrangements.

Memorial sites and topographic reference points

The Keratidi Monument and the graves of those executed by German troops are on a hill east of Damasta. Thirty cypress trees were planted at the execution site, one for each person killed. The trees’ association with the victims makes the commemoration of those killed tangible in the planting itself. The memorial site therefore represents a different historical focus from the patron church.

Another topographic reference point in the surrounding area is the Chondro-Charaki shaft. It is on the summit of Chondro Charaki, 500 metres south of Damasta cemetery. The shaft’s location is described in relation to the summit and the cemetery; by contrast, the hill east of Damasta is the reference point for the Keratidi Monument and the graves. This distinction helps keep the two location descriptions separate.

Discover more destinations

Galatas, Galia, Mália, Agia Irini, Elea, Mathia, Tylissos, Lygaria

For the main travel overview: Heraklion.