Pompia or Pombia is a fairly large and lively village that is located in the south of the Heraklion district. Most people will come through the village if they drive south from the town of Mires, which is five kilometers away, to the beach of Kali Limenes. The village itself is a village in which is lived and worked by the Greeks themselves and where inhabitants are not really concerned with tourism. In the center of Pompia most houses are in good shape. In the side streets you will see well maintained houses next to houses that are falling apart. There are elderly people, but also many families with children.
Pompia has about a thousand inhabitants and there are a number of squares, kafenions, taverns, grocery stores, mini markets and various large and small churches. For all other facilities residents can easily go to the larger village of Mires where there is a health center, and where every Saturday there is also a market. On the largest square in the village of Pompia are two big churches, a memorial to World War II and a memorial to the local hero Michalis Korakas, who was born in the village in 1797, became the chief commander of 12 eastern provinces of Crete, and played a prominent part in opposing the Ottoman occupation.
The patron saint of the village is Agios Georgios and one of the large churches is named after him. More interesting are the older smaller churches you encounter when walking through the village. A building higher up in the village, not far from the little white church that is built in the shape of a cross, makes the impression to be a very old church, but it appears to be a water source. The sculpted cistern that stands in front of the building, where the water comes in, with a kind of lion heads, could date from Venetian time or maybe even from an earlier period. There is an inscription and an image of patron saint Agios Georgios set in the building.
© Hans Huisman