The 1824 massacre at Elafonisi

850 people were massacred here by the Turks on Easter day in 1824. The massacre was purely for revenge and punishment against the rebellious Cretan people, as the victims were mainly women children.

The shipwreck of the "Imperatrix" in Elafonisi

On the reefs around Elafonisi, in February 1907, the Imperatrix steamboat was shipwrecked, killing 38 of the 140 who were travelling to India (120 crew and 20 passengers). The monks from the Chrysoskalitissa monastery along with the few locals dove into the frenzied waves and managed to save 38 people.

To avoid similar tragedies in the future, a tall lighthouse was built at Elafonisi that was visible from a distance and warned sailors to stay away from dangerous rocks. Unfortunately, all the cedars and other trees on Elafonisi were sacrificed to build the lighthouse. This lighthouse was destroyed by the German army in World War II and today has been replaced by another modern one.