The settlement is found in the north-east of the Nikos Kazantzakis Municipality.
Built amphitheatrically on a most beautiful hill, it dominates over the plain of Peza full with vines and Olives. The placing of the settlement explains the growth in the passage of time, as it is located on a strategic point so much geographically and also historically.

POPULATION: 864 (2001 Census)
ALTITUDE: 360 M
DISTANCE FROM HERAKLION: 20Km.
ROUTE:  Proposed routes:
A) Heraklion-Knosos-Spilia-Koynavoi-Peza-Aghies Paraskies
B) Heraklion-Skalani- Aghies Paraskies. (via the new National Road of Heraklion-Vianos). 
PREFECTURE: Heraklion
MUNICIPALITY: N. Kazantzakis

The conquerors of the island left their imprint in the region, cultivating a rich popular tradition. Immense treasures the recovery of which promised the economic salvation of Crete, fairies and dark creatures star in the lore of the region.

Its distance from Heraklion is roughly 20km. and borders with Astrakous, Myrtia, Aghios Vasileios, Meleses and the Municipality of Thrapsano. It constitutes one of the 14 in total municipal apartments of the Municipality of Nikos Kazantzakis in which it is included since 1999 and the seat of the Municipality is the settlement of Peza.

The municipal department of Aghies Paraskies has 937 residents in total to which the settlement Kellia also depends, with 73 residents.  The main products of the region are olives, olive oil, edible grapes, wine, raisins, vegetables, ceramics, pottery and refreshing beverages. The settlement presents an intense economic but also cultural activity and in particular it is frequently found in the epicentre of important events of the Municipality like: Unveiling the work of the known sculptor Yannis Parmakelis from the line “Witnesses and Victims”
Competition of Territorial Vinification for the year 2008,
Speeches and meetings. Etc
Patron saint of the village is Saint George (Aghios Georgios) whose church is built on an elevation in the centre of the village and also it dominates over the total region. It is a triple aisles church. The other two aisles are dedicated to Santa Paraskevi (Aghia Paraskevi) and to the Ten Saints (Aghioi Deka). Its construction began in 1903. In Aghies Paraskies is located also the holy temple of the Holy Belt (Aghia Zoni), an old Byzantine church of the 11th century, the exceptional murals of which are crafted by the local painter Stefanos Nikolaidis, but unfortunately these murals are not distinguishable since like in many other churches they are buried under coats of lime. Works of the artist can be visited in the old churches of Aghios Minas and Aghios Titos.
Regarding the lore of the Holy Belt, women that could not bare a child made a pilgrimage to the church and used to coil the church with cotton that afterwards they made it into the wick of the candle they offered to the church.

Name-Historical elements.

It’s highly probable that the name is owed to the existence of old Christian temples in the wider region where for some important reason it looks as if there was a greater reverence towards Aghia Paraskevi. In the wider area there are the ruins of 5 temples dedicated to Aghia Paraskevi and other saints. Some of the other churches of the village are Aghios Antonios (Saint Antony), and Profitis Ilias (Prophet Elias) at the bridge of Kolomodi. In the outskirts and in the village there are still 8 other ruined temples, that reveal their importance in earlier times.

The big number of Christian churches in Aghies Paraskies is a witness to the distress of the residents to maintain their identity during the centuries that passed under the threatening eye of conquerors. The adjacency of the settlement with the Abbey of Aggarathos (Moni Aggarathou) had a particularly favourable effect in the residents’ efforts for their intellectual growth.

The Metropolitan of Crete Meletios Nikoletakis, who also was the Archimandrite of the Abbey, organised in 1815 a Concealed School (Kryfo Scholio) in the settlement thus strengthening the bonds of the residents with the faith and their national identity.    In 1840, the Concealed School in Kato Chorio had been organised in the Byzantine church of Aghia Zoni and in 1889 it moved base to Apano Chorio.

The settlement is quite old. Written references date back to the early 13th century where it’s scripted in two contracts of 1212 and 1271 as Peraski. In other 1279 and 1280 contracts it is referred to as Castro Paraschi, Paraschym.  In 1577, Barozzi mentions it as Agies Paraschies Pano, Agies Paraschies Cato. The references in the 1583 Kastrofylakas’ records are Agies Paraschies Apano with 171 residents and Agies Paraschies Cato with 124 residents.

In 1630 Basilicata refers to it as Agies Paraschies Apano, Agies Paraschies Cato. They were two separate settlements that each had its own church of Agia Paraskevi, and thus justified its name in the plural, Aghies Paraskies.  The Castro Paraski that is referred to in a contract of 1279 clearly refers to the medieval fortress Castelos, the ruins of which still stand on location between Agies Paraskies and Melesses.  At a wedding contract in 1462 we find the toponym “Pitsouni” (squab), a site on the north of the town.  This and other elements lead us to the fact that there must have been the first residential core of the village.

In 1834, the last years of the Muslim conquest, in Agies Paraskies were 12 Christian and many other Muslim families, while in 1881 there were 384 Christian and 57 Muslim residents.
In 1898, after the liberation of Crete, Agies Paraskies was chosen as the seat of the Municipality, which developed as a municipality of great activity.  During the German occupation of the village, Germans settled who built ammunition depots and turned schools into entertainment clubs. The residents had organized resistance groups to oppose them. In the well known executions of Heraklion among the 62 martyrs was Aghioparaskitis (from Aghies Paraskies) George Methymakis .

Archeology-myth and tradition.

The remaining Byzantine ruins in the region may show that the settlement began to be built after the 11 th century, but archaeological finds in the region refer to previous seasons.  In “Pitsouni”, the investigation revealed sections of graves of the 5th or 4th century BC and the ruins of three churches.  A vaulted tomb of the Geometric period with urns and vases bearing interesting performances was revealed in a rural area of the village, namely in the site Campos.  Also near the village were found "Magganes (oil presses) of the Minoan era.
At the site of Portelles or Portella, were found in 1962, 90 gold coins dating from the time of Nikephoros Fokas, and are now at the

Museum of Heraklion.

According to the residents “Pitsouni” was the name of the original settlement "famous ancient city which flourished in the Minoan and Late Minoan times and was destroyed by subsidence”.

Here, there were water springs and lore has it that there appeared fairies and those who drank water would lose their senses.
Further east, in the small village of "Kolomodi”, there were inns for the accommodation of travellers during the Ottoman years.

West of the village on the main road and next to the church of Aghios Nektarios is the "Fountain of Ali Efenti”, which was built in 1728, as quoted by the inscription. It reads on the fountain in Arabic scripture:" Ali Efenti donates with his heart for the passers-by to drink, in memory of Khanoum Louchouna.”  The fountain is a now renovated jewel of the region.  In the place Myrtle was once a cistern.  There, as the local lore goes, fairies bathe, and after each bath, they would rest and dry on a pine trunk.  That's why the trunk was standing with a big inclination.

From the rich history of the village, the place names, the events of the Cretan Revolution, the legends and the struggles of the residents were given the road names of Aghies Paraskies.

Text: www.endoxora-irakleiou.gr

Agies Paraskies, Heraklion Agies Paraskies, Heraklion Agies Paraskies, Heraklion Agies Paraskies, Heraklion Agies Paraskies, Heraklion Agies Paraskies. View from Kaloni Village

Hiking in the area:

Hiking with the Naturalist Club of Heraklion at the Astrakiano and Kounaviano gorge (www.fysi.gr):

Astrakiano and Kounaviano gorge Astrakiano and Kounaviano gorge Astrakiano and Kounaviano gorge Astrakiano and Kounaviano gorge Astrakiano and Kounaviano gorge Astrakiano and Kounaviano gorge Astrakiano and Kounaviano gorge Astrakiano and Kounaviano gorge Astrakiano and Kounaviano gorge Astrakiano and Kounaviano gorge Astrakiano and Kounaviano gorge Astrakiano and Kounaviano gorge Astrakiano and Kounaviano gorge Astrakiano and Kounaviano gorge Astrakiano and Kounaviano gorge Astrakiano and Kounaviano gorge Astrakiano and Kounaviano gorge Astrakiano and Kounaviano gorge Astrakiano and Kounaviano gorge Astrakiano and Kounaviano gorge Astrakiano and Kounaviano gorge Astrakiano and Kounaviano gorge Astrakiano and Kounaviano gorge Astrakiano and Kounaviano gorge Astrakiano and Kounaviano gorge Astrakiano and Kounaviano gorge Astrakiano and Kounaviano gorge Astrakiano and Kounaviano gorge Astrakiano and Kounaviano gorge Astrakiano and Kounaviano gorge Astrakiano and Kounaviano gorge Astrakiano and Kounaviano gorge Astrakiano and Kounaviano gorge Astrakiano and Kounaviano gorge Astrakiano and Kounaviano gorge Astrakiano and Kounaviano gorge

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