The Priest's Plants

The Priest's Vine

The shoot off The Priest's Vine at the Alfa Hotel

Vai

Pirigraphi

The Priest's Vine

Tucked away amongst the bushes, in the ruins of the old village, not far from the Alpha Waterfall, is an old grapevine, the Priest's Vine.

According to tradition, this was brought back to Azogires from Jerusalem in the early 20th century by Pater Papagregorakis. The grapes are the "Rizaki" type, planted mostly for eating although they do make a good but heavy wine. This particular vine isn't currently in use but a shoot from it is now one of the two grapevines that provide fruit, shelter and shade over the communal patio at the Alpha Hotel, just up the road from the kafenion.

Pirigraphi

Close to the priest’s vine down by the waterfall there is growing a single bush known locally as ‘Pirigraphi.’ In the old days this bush was highly prized by the local women for its healing properties. Antonis Alibertis’s book “Healing Aromatic and Edible Plants of Crete” (available in Delphini Books in Paleochora) States, amongst other things, that “Leaves of bay mixed with fringed rue and pounded together are used as a plaster in cases of congestion of the male genitals.”

The plant, also said to have been brought to the village by Pater Papagregorakis, has been identified by local botanist Jenny Neal as a subspecies of Ruta chalepenis, Fringed Rue.

While this is a Cretan plant, it’s very unusual to find it growing on its own, in such a secluded spot.

Vai

The other plant associated with Pater Papagregorakis is the date palm growing down behind the old olive factory. Again it is said that he brought this back to the village from Jerusalem. There were originally three palm trees, known locally as Vai, and their leaves were used during the Vaio, the Palm Sunday celebrations.