Sitia

---

title: "Sitia" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["municipalities-of-crete", "populated-places-in-lasithi", "sitia", "provinces-of-greece"] description: "Town on island of Crete in Greece" topic_path: "general/municipalities-of-crete" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitia" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Town on island of Crete in Greece ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox Greek Dimos"]

Field	Value
name	Sitia
name_local	Σητεία
type	municipality
image_map	2011 11 Dimos Sitias NEU.png
image_skyline	Kreta sitia hafen.jpg
city_seal	Sitia Logo.png
coordinates
elevation_min	0
elevation_max	5
periph	Crete
periphunit	Lasithi
pop_municipality	20438
area_municipality	710.9
pop_municunit	15615
area_municunit	277.4
pop_community	11166
mayor	Georgios Zervakis
since	2019
population_as_of	2021
postal_code	72x xx
area_code	28430
licence	ΑΝ
website	www.sitia.gr
::

|name = Sitia |name_local = Σητεία |type = municipality |image_map = 2011 11 Dimos Sitias NEU.png |image_skyline = Kreta sitia hafen.jpg |caption_skyline = |city_flag = |city_seal = Sitia Logo.png |coordinates = |elevation_min = 0 |elevation_max = 5 |periph = Crete |periphunit = Lasithi |pop_municipality = 20438 |area_municipality = 710.9 |pop_municunit = 15615 |area_municunit = 277.4 |pop_community = 11166 |mayor = Georgios Zervakis |party = |since = 2019 |population_as_of = 2021 |postal_code = 72x xx |area_code = 28430 |licence = ΑΝ |website = www.sitia.gr

Sitia (Latin and Italian) or Siteia (, ) is a port town and a municipality in Lasithi, Crete, Greece. The town has 11,166 inhabitants and the municipality has 20,438 (2021). It lies east of Agios Nikolaos and northeast of Ierapetra. Sitia's port is on the Sea of Crete, part of the Aegean Sea and is one of the economic centers of the Lasithi region. European route E75 (which ends in Vardø, Norway) starts in Sitia. The town is served by the Sitia Public Airport. It has not experienced the effects of mass tourism even though there is a long beach along the road leading to Vai and several places of historical interest.

History

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/Città_di_Settia_-Francesco_Basilicata-_1618.jpg" caption="The city of Sitia and the surrounding area by [[Francesco Basilicata]], 1618"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/48/Sitia_R01.jpg" caption="[[Kazarma fortress]] at the top"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Sitia_R02.jpg" caption="View of the marina"] ::

The settlement of the town dates to pre-Minoan times. Excavations in the Petras neighbourhood have found architectural remains from the end of the Neolithic (3000 BC) and continue through the Bronze Age 3000-1050 BC, including the Minoan palace of Petras. Several other Minoan settlements have been found within the municipality, notably Itanos and Mochlos.

According to Diogenes Laërtius, Sitia was the home of Myson of Chen, one of the Seven Sages of Greece.

Names

Name

The ancient Itia or Etea (, ) appears to correspond roughly to modern Sitia. The name Siteia itself is probably the result of rebracketing of (σε, "at") and .{{Cite journal | author = Bourne, Edward G. | year = 1887 | title = The Derivation of Stamboul | journal = American Journal of Philology | volume = 8 | issue = 1 | pages = 78–82 | doi = 10.2307/287478 | publisher = The Johns Hopkins University Press | jstor = 287478

Ancient Sitia

Sitia was founded by Minoans as Itia, and was a place of refuge for native Cretans after the fall of the major Minoan settlements. The city continued to prosper through the Classical, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods as one of the island's chief ports.

Venetian era

The town was later expanded and fortified by the Venetians after their acquisition of Crete in 1204, who used it as a base of operations for the Eastern Mediterranean. During the Venetian occupation, the town was destroyed three times: first by an earthquake in 1508, then by the Turkish pirate Hayreddin Barbarossa in 1538, and finally by the Venetians themselves in 1651. This final destruction took place in the context of the Cretan War (1645–1669) in which the Venetians battled to retain their hold on the island against the Ottoman Empire. While Sitia did not fall in the initial Turkish advance, the Venetians did not have the resources to withstand a long siege, and accordingly destroyed the fortifications and removed the garrison to Heraklion. The local inhabitants meanwhile removed westwards to Liopetro and the site was subsequently abandoned for the next 200 years of Turkish rule.

The main remnant of the Venetian occupation is the Kazarma (from Italian casa di arma), the old fortress overlooking the harbour.

Modern era

After the Venetian period and subsequent abandonment the town was rebuilt until 1870 by the progressive Turkish governor Hüseyin Avni Pasha following the Cretan Revolt. It was subsequently created capital of the Sanjak of Lasit (later Lasithi, which it remains to this day). Under Turkish rule the town was renamed Avniye after its rebuilder, but as the local Greeks continued to use the traditional name of Sitia this innovation did not survive independence. Despite the turbulent history of Crete in leaving the Ottoman Empire and joining Greece, as well as the First World War, the population almost quadrupled between 1881 (570 inhabitants) and 1928 (2,100 inhabitants). Major public works were carried out by the Greek government in 1911 to modernise the town, in the course of which much of the Ottoman era town was rebuilt, as well as a fresh water supply.

Geography

Municipality

The municipality Sitia was formed at the 2010 local government reform by the merger of the three former municipalities Itanos, Lefki and Sitia, which became municipal units. In November 2011, Sitia incorporated the four communities Chrysopigi, Lithines, Perivolakia and Pefkoi, which had previously been part of the municipality Ierapetra. In 2014, these communities were grouped into the new municipal unit Analipsi.

The municipality Sitia consists of the following municipal units and communities:

• Analipsi (Chrysopigi, Lithines, Pefkoi, Perivolakia)
• Itanos (Karydi, Palaikastro, Zakros)
• Lefki (Agia Triada, Apidia, Armenoi, Chandras, Pappagiannades, Ziros)
• Sitia (Achladia, Agios Georgios, Chamezi, Exo Mouliana, Katsidoni, Krya, Lastros, Maronia, Mesa Mouliana, Myrsini, Piskokefalo, Praisos, Roussa Ekklisia, Sitia, Sfaka, Skopi, Stavromenos, Tourloti)

The municipality has an area of 627 km2, the municipal unit 277 km2.

Province

Sitia Province or Eparchy (Επαρχία Σητείας, ) was one of the provinces of Lasithi. Its territory corresponded with that of the current municipality Sitia and the municipal unit Makry Gialos. It was abolished in 2006.

Environmentally protected areas

There are a number of sites in the municipality of Sitia that are protected as National Parks, Aesthetic Forests, Wildlife Refuges etc. under national and international laws. Sitia is home to the Sitia UNESCO Global Geopark. Notable examples are:

• Dionysades Islands which carry many rare and endangered plant species and also serve as a refuge of several animal species (mostly birds and small reptiles), including the falcon, Falco eleonorae, which finds sanctuary here.
• Vai palm forest.
• Richtis Gorge and waterfall.

Climate

Sitia has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: Csa) with hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters.{{Weather box |width = auto |location=Sitia (1960–2010) |metric first = yes |single line = yes |Jan high C = 15.2 |Feb high C = 15.3 |Mar high C = 16.9 |Apr high C = 19.9 |May high C = 23.5 |Jun high C = 27.1 |Jul high C = 28.4 |Aug high C = 28.4 |Sep high C = 26.5 |Oct high C = 23.5 |Nov high C = 20.1 |Dec high C = 16.9 |year high C = 21.8 |Jan mean C = 12.2 |Feb mean C = 12.2 |Mar mean C = 13.7 |Apr mean C = 16.6 |May mean C = 20.3 |Jun mean C = 24.1 |Jul mean C = 25.9 |Aug mean C = 25.8 |Sep mean C = 23.6 |Oct mean C = 20.3 |Nov mean C = 16.9 |Dec mean C = 13.9 |year mean C = 18.8 |Jan low C = 9.7 |Feb low C = 9.5 |Mar low C = 10.5 |Apr low C = 12.8 |May low C = 15.9 |Jun low C = 19.9 |Jul low C = 22.6 |Aug low C = 22.7 |Sep low C = 20.4 |Oct low C = 17.3 |Nov low C = 14.0 |Dec low C = 11.4 |year low C = 15.6 |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 92.6 |Feb precipitation mm = 71.0 |Mar precipitation mm = 49.0 |Apr precipitation mm = 23.3 |May precipitation mm = 12.1 |Jun precipitation mm = 2.2 |Jul precipitation mm = 0.2 |Aug precipitation mm = 0.8 |Sep precipitation mm = 16.2 |Oct precipitation mm = 50.2 |Nov precipitation mm = 59.5 |Dec precipitation mm = 91.8 |year precipitation mm = 468.9 |Jan precipitation days = 13.1 |Feb precipitation days = 11.3 |Mar precipitation days = 8.8 |Apr precipitation days = 5.0 |May precipitation days = 3.0 |Jun precipitation days = 0.8 |Jul precipitation days = 0.1 |Aug precipitation days = 0.3 |Sep precipitation days = 1.7 |Oct precipitation days = 5.7 |Nov precipitation days = 8.2 |Dec precipitation days = 12.4 |year precipitation days = 70.4 |Jan humidity = 71.6 |Feb humidity = 70.0 |Mar humidity = 68.3 |Apr humidity = 64.1 |May humidity = 62.3 |Jun humidity = 60.4 |Jul humidity = 61.5 |Aug humidity = 63.5 |Sep humidity = 65.9 |Oct humidity = 69.4 |Nov humidity = 70.9 |Dec humidity = 71.8 |source 1 = Hellenic National Meteorological Service{{cite web | url = http://newportal.hnms.gr/emy/en/climatology/climatology_city?perifereia=Crete&poli=Sitia | title = Siteia Climatological data 1960–2010 | publisher = Hellenic National Meteorological Service | access-date = 30 September 2020}} | date=July 2014}}

Infrastructure

The municipality of Sitia is served by the Sitia Public Airport which offers several domestic destinations. The first landing occurred on June 7, 1984 and the airport opened officially on June 9, 1984. Construction of new building facilities that included a control tower was completed in May 1993. Runway and apron extension works were finished in May 2003. In 2011, the local authorities completed negotiations with international travel agents for organising regular charter flights starting in May 2012. The same year, local officials negotiationed with the low-cost airline Ryanair.

In addition, Sitia is served by a port which connects Sitia and eastern Crete with several other Greek islands as well as with the port of Piraeus. The town also has a marina which accommodates smaller fishing boats and yachts.

Health services

Sitia General Hospital was founded in 1947 as a local health center and was later (1994) relocated to a new 7500m2 (110-bed capacity) building and accordingly upgraded to serve as the main hospital for the municipality of Sitia and the surrounding area.

Culture

Attractions

• Moni Toplou, founded in the mid 15th century, is one of the most significant monasteries in Crete.
• Kazarma fortress, in the town of Sitia.
• Gorge of the Dead (at Kato Zakros).
• Archaeological Museum of Sitia.
• Folkor Museum of Sitia.
• Various archeological sites with Minoan civilization settlements from the Bronze Age, such as in Itanos and Mochlos.

Notable people

• Yannis Hamilakis - archaeologist
• Myson - philosopher (one of the 7 legendary wise men of ancient Greece)
• Vitsentzos Kornaros - poet (composer of Erotokritos)
• Giorgos Mazonakis - singer
• Jenny Hiloudaki - DJ
• Manousos - Musician (bassist of Psofioi Korioi Band)

References

References

1. [https://ekloges.ypes.gr/current/d/home/en/municipalities/9313/ Municipality of Sitia, Municipal elections – October 2023], Ministry of Interior
2. link. (October 13, 2012)
3. John Freely, Crete: Discovering the 'Great Island {{ISBN. 1-84511-692-5, p. 154
4. [[Thomas Abel Brimage Spratt]], ''Travels and Researches in Crete'', 1865, chapter XIX, [https://books.google.com/books?id=OzMbAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA201 p. 201]
5. "ΦΕΚ A 87/2010, Kallikratis reform law text". [[Government Gazette (Greece).
6. "ΦΕΚ 239A 2011". [[Government Gazette (Greece).
7. "ΦΕΚ 93A 2014". [[Government Gazette (Greece).
8. "Population & housing census 2001 (incl. area and average elevation)". National Statistical Service of Greece.
9. "Detailed census results 1991 }} {{small".
10. [http://www.cretanbeaches.com/Gorges/Lassithi-gorges/richtis-gorge/ Richtis Gorge and Waterfall]
11. [http://www.sitia.gr/information-services/news/aerchart.html Charter flights 2012] {{webarchive. link. (2011-10-01 , (in Greek))
12. [http://www.lasithinews.gr/News.aspx?ArtlId=3083&%CE%95%CF%80%CE%B9%CF%83%CF%84%CE%BF%CE%BB%CE%AE%20%CE%9C%CE%B9%CF%87.%20%CE%9A%CE%B1%CF%81%CF%87%CE%B9%CE%BC%CE%AC%CE%BA%CE%B7%20%CE%B3%CE%B9%CE%B1%20%CF%84%CE%BF%20%CE%B1%CE%B5%CF%81%CE%BF%CE%B4%CF%81%CF%8C%CE%BC%CE%B9%CE%BF%20%CE%A3%CE%B7%CF%84%CE%B5%CE%AF%CE%B1%CF%82%20%CE%BA%CE%B1%CE%B9%20%CF%84%CE%B7%CE%BD%20Ryan%20Air Ryanair to fly to Sitia] (in Greek)
13. [http://www.gtp.gr/PortPage.asp?id=1703 Sitia Port]
14. [http://www.ghsitia.gr/ General Hospital of Sitia] (in Greek).

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::