A trip to Males brings together three distinct themes: the history of the ancient city, Byzantine frescoes, and nature trails. The village lies on the site of the ancient city of Malla; the Byzantine church of Panagia has well-preserved frescoes dating from 1431. Nature trails lead from Males to a plateau, a spring, and several churches. When planning your trip, you can first decide whether local history, sacred art, or natural attractions will be your main focus.
Malla as an Ancient City-State
About 2,500 years ago, Malla was an autonomous city-state. The city minted its own coins, had its own army, and worshipped its own deities. Taken together, these features give the idea of autonomy a concrete form: they point to political independence, military organization, and religious beliefs. The approximate timeframe places this history well before the Byzantine art of the Panagia church, without conflating the two periods.
Panagia and the 1431 Frescoes
The well-preserved frescoes in the Byzantine church of Panagia date from 1431. This date provides a specific point of reference alongside the much earlier history of Malla. The two themes offer different cultural and historical perspectives on Males: Malla represents an autonomous city-state, while the frescoes represent Byzantine church art. Those interested in a place’s history can therefore consider political independence and a specific work of art as distinct points of entry.
It is worth distinguishing the names of the churches carefully: the Panagia in Males is the Byzantine church with the 1431 frescoes. Panagia ti Messochoritissa (Παναγία τη Μεσσοχωρίτισσα) is another church destination on the nature trails and is described as a Palaiologan church.
Nature Trails from Males
Nature trails from Males lead to the Katharo Plateau, the Retikou Spring (Ρετικού), the Palaiologan church of Panagia ti Messochoritissa (Παναγία τη Μεσσοχωρίτισσα), Agios Nikolaos (Άγιος Νικόλαος), and the double-aisled church of Agios Charalambos kai Afendis Christos (Άγιος Χαράλαμπος και Αφέντης Χριστός). These destinations include a plateau and a spring, as well as several churches. You can use these different points of interest to choose whether the landscape or the churches better suit your interests.
The iconostasis is a particular highlight of the double-aisled church of Agios Charalambos kai Afendis Christos. It is the work of woodcarvers from Nitadores (Νιταδώροι) in Lasithi. This specific connection to craftsmanship adds another cultural and historical dimension to the church’s architectural description.
Choosing the Focus of Your Trip
If you are looking for a hotel in Males, it is best to decide first which theme you would like to explore in greater depth on your trip: the history of ancient Malla, the Panagia frescoes, or the nature trails.
Discover more destinations: Kouremenos, Pefkoi Makry Gialos, Kalivos, Riza, Pacheia Ammos, Katsikia, Achlia, Magoulás.
For the broader travel overview: Lasithi.
