Name and Historical Data
Until 1960, the name of the settlement was “Geron to Mouri” and from 1960 until today it has been called Agios Charalambos because of the village church. It was given its original name, “Geron to Mouri”, due to the territorial uplift (Muri) of the area. According to a historically verified opinion, the aldermen of the province gathered in this place, in order to discuss and make decisions on important matters concerning the area.
At the entrance of the village and opposite the current cemetery, part of the sanctuary of an old Byzantine church dedicated to Saints Sergius and Bacchus is preserved. A few years ago during the opening of the Plateau’s ring road, a cave full of bones and skulls was discovered, as reported, north of the village. It was immediately sealed, but although several years passed, nothing was done by the competent archaeological agency to reveal the historical secrets it hides. To the west of the village is Vitsilokoumo, a very beautiful location, and higher up is located the Afentis hill (1577 m).
Agios Charalambos was listed by the historian Castrofilaca (K104) as Mettocchio Geromuri with 18 inhabitants in 1583, by Basilicata as Gero to Muri in 1630 (Monuments of Cret. Hist. V, p. 29), in the Turkish census of 1671 as Yerotomuri with 37 families (N. Stavrinidis, Translations B’, p. 136), in the Egyptian census of 1834 as Gaidhuromandra (= Kato Metochi) and Gerontomuri with 30 Christian families (Pashley, Travels in Crete, II, 321).
Population trend according to the censuses: