Widely accepted to be the original house of Rhodanthe, our museum faithfully restores and replicates living conditions commensurate with the times and with Rhodanthe's story.
Born to the head priest of the village during a time of oppressive Ottoman rule, Rhodanthe is thrust at an early age into a life of bloodshed and exile. Her mother is brutally murdered in front of her when Rhodanthe is kidnapped, by order of the ruling Aga, who then forces her into marriage.
On the night of their wedding Rhodanthe seduces the Aga into lowering his guard and slaughters him with his own knife. She then dresses in his clothes to evade detection and escapes to the hills. There in a secluded chapel, she cuts off her braids in offering to the Madonna and henceforth disguises herself as a young man and joins the Cretan resistance fighters, amongst whom, she becomes affectionally known as Spanomanolis - "beardless Manolis".
Rhodanthe was slain at just nineteen years of age, fighting heroically against overwhelming Egyptian and Turkish forces during the great battle of Kritsa of 1823. She and a small band of fighters elected to stay behind to buy time for the rest of the village to flee. Legend has it, that it was only upon treating her fatal wounds, that her compatriots finally discovered her true gender and identity.
Read her full story in Nigel Ratcliffe's "Rhodanthe's Song", available in paperback to at the museum.
We at the Kritsotopoula Museum open our doors and our hearts to you through Rhodanthe's epic and heroic story.
The Kritsotopoula museum is dedicated to preserving the memory of Kritsa’s most revered daughter, Rhodanthe, nick-named "Kritsotopoula" (girl of Kritsa) who has become a symbol of the Cretan people's struggle for independence and a source of inspiration for generations. Her story has been celebrated in poems, songs, and plays, and her name is remembered with pride in Kritsa and beyond, synonymous with the courage and determination of the Cretan people in the face of adversity. Her legacy continues to inspire and unite them today.