Giorgis Aretakis, known as “Captain Sfakianos”, is finally set to take his place beside another hero of the Greek Resistance. In his birthplace, Spili, in the municipality of Agios Vasileios, a new monument will be erected behind the Town Hall — in the same square where, since 2018, a striking statue of Nikos Miaoulis has stood.

The Mayor of Agios Vasileios, Yiannis Tatarakis, recently expressed his full support for the project during a conversation with Thanasis Charitakis, local councillor from the Popular Rally party. Both agreed on the importance of honouring such a significant patriot and resistance figure.

The sculpture will be created by Markos Georgilakis, a renowned sculptor from Spili and Professor at the Athens School of Fine Arts.

The unveiling is scheduled for the summer of 2026, at an event that is already drawing interest from all over Crete and beyond. Expectations are high for a big turnout in Spili, the seat of the municipality.

The initiative comes from the Rethymno branch of the KKE, aiming to honour the “Warlord of Vigla”, as Aretakis was known — a title that also inspired the biography by journalist and author Manolis Pantinakis. Pantinakis is also behind the documentary “Captain Sfakianos Returned to His Village”, which explores the life and legacy of Giorgis Aretakis in vivid detail.