Saint John church at Aloida

The simple temple of Saint John the Baptist is located at the small plateau of Aloida , in the region of Mesa Lassithi , at an altitude of 1140 meters in the Dikti mountain range . At that point, next to a spring with fresh water, the chieftain Kapetan Kazanis and his men found shelter after 1821, from where they roamed against the Ottomans.

It was Kazanis' group that Rodanthi joined, a woman from Kritsa , dressed like a man, and with the nickname Manolis fought against the Turks. Today there is a monument for the rebels, and celebrations are held every year.

Apart from Kapetan Kazanis, Aloida was a rebel shelter from the Venetian Era to the Second World War. The place is accessed through a dirt road that starts above the village of Mesa Lassithi at Lassithi Plateau .