Kissoi, Phaistos

Kissoi is a village situated on the slopes of Mount Psiloritis in the municipal unit of Magarikari, within the Municipality of Phaistos. It lies at an altitude of 390 meters.

Historical References

The village is mentioned in a 1373 document from the Ducal Archives of Chandakas as Chissi, where Ioh. Baroci owned property. In 1577, Fr. Barozzi referred to it as Chissus in the province of Pyrgiotissa. The same name and a population of 157 are recorded by the Castellan in 1583. The Vasilikata also mentions Kissoi with the same name in 1630.

The first Turkish census in 1671 lists the village as Kisus with 4 charatsia (0 wealthy, 2 middle class, and 2 poor families). In June 1694, the property of rebel Nikolaos Lignos was confiscated. According to a document by N. Stavrinidis, all his movable property and his wife and children were transferred to Chandakas due to his participation in the war against the Turks.

The Egyptian census of 1834 (Pashley) refers to the village as Kissus, inhabited by 14 Muslim families. In the 1875 census conducted by the Russian vice-consul I. Mitsotakis, Kissoi had 125 Muslim residents (25 families).

In the 1881 Stavrakis census, the village was the seat of the homonymous Municipality, with 124 Muslim residents (65 males and 59 females) in 36 families. By 1894, Kissoi had 36 Turkish families and comprised the following neighborhoods: Pyrenes, Soulakiana, Chaliliana, Katarthiana, Tourtoutiana, Chalatsana, and Mesi.

In the first census of the Cretan State in 1900, Kissoi belonged to the Municipality of Voron and had 15 residents (7 male and 3 female Christians, and 5 male Muslims). Ioannis Nouchakis (Cretan Topography) noted in 1903 that the village consisted of the neighborhoods “Pyrenon, Soulakianon, Chalilianon, Katarthianon, Tourtoutianon, Chalatsanon, and Meson.”

Administrative History

• 1920: Belongs to the rural municipality of Magarikari (Kissos)
• 1928: Part of the community of the same village
• 1940: Name of the village is spelled again as Kissoi
• 2001: Belongs to the Kapodistrian Municipality of Tympaki
• 2011: Part of the Kallikratis Municipality of Phaistos

Settlement: Key Points

• Historical References: Mentioned as Chissi (1373), Chissus (1577, 1583), Kisus (1671), Kissus (1834)
• Location: Slopes of Mount Psiloritis, Municipality of Phaistos, altitude 390m
• Historical Significance: Confiscation of rebel property in 1694, changing demographics over time
• Population Data:

• Current Status: A small village within the Municipality of Phaistos

References

• https://e-mesara.gr/kissoi-poreia-sto-chrono-kai-stin-istoria/