The Frangocastelo , in the East of the remote and "wild" region of Sfakia, to the south of lChania Prefecture, Crete, Greece
To the East of the remote and "wild" region of Sfakia, to the south of Hania Prefecture, you can find not only some of the many beautiful beaches of Southern Crete, but also a Venetian Castle, called Frangokastello (means "castle of the Franks", where Franks are the Catholic foreigners) . If you are lucky enough you will see a very strange phenomenon, called "Drossoulites". What's this all about? On 17 May 1828 a celebrated battle was fought at Frangokastello. Hundreds of Sfakiots led by Hadzi Michali Daliani, a Greek adventurer attempting to spread the War of Independence from the mainland to Crete, occupied the castle, but were besieged by the Turks and massacred. However, many of the Turks were then themselves killed by rebel ambushes launched from the local gorges. According to tradition, around the anniversary of the battle each May, shadows of the armed Cretan soldiers who lost their lives there seem to march towards the fortress around dawn. These are called drossoulites, or dew shadows, and have been explained as a meteorological visions, as described by witnesses, consist of a group of human-like shadows dressed in black, walking or riding, armed with weapons, moving from the church of Agios Charalambos and advancing towards the old fort Castel Franco (Frangokastello). Legend has it that this group of people are Greek fighters that died during the Battle of Frangokastello (17 May 1828) and since then they appear as supernatural beings in the area. The ghost-army is lead by Hatzimihalis Dalianis, the chief of the Greek troops (350 men) in the battle. The army took refuge in the fort during the War of independence against the Turks, where they died after a seven-day siege. The local people named them Drosoulites (the "dew men") due to the time of day that the phenomenon is taking place. The phenomenon is observed when the sea is calm and the atmosphere is moist and before the sun goes too high up in the sky. It usually lasts about 10 minutes.
Size: 4065px × 2831px
Location: Frangocastelo, Sfakia, Chania prefecture, Crete, Greece, Europe
Photo credit: © Hercules Milas / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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