Amari commemorates 82nd anniversary of Kentro villages Holocaust

The Municipality of Amari, in collaboration with the Ano Meros Municipal Community and the Ano Meros Cultural Association, held a ceremony on Saturday, August 22, to commemorate the 82nd anniversary of the Holocaust of the villages of the Kentro region.

The memorial service took place at the Monument of the Fallen in Ano Meros to honor 164 patriots executed by Nazi occupation forces on August 22, 1944. The victims were from several villages, including Ano Meros, Vryses, Gerakari, Gourgouthoi, Dryries, Kardaki, Smiles, and Krya Vrysi, during one of the most severe crimes of World War II in Crete. Among the deceased were 38 residents of Ano Meros.

The event included a memorial prayer, the reading of the Day's Panegyric, and a roll call of the dead. The ceremony concluded with the laying of wreaths, a minute of silence, and the playing of the National Anthem. Local officials, including the Metropolitan of Lambi, Syvritos, and Sfakiá, the Vice Governor of Rethymno, and the Mayor of Amari, were in attendance.