Greek Island Leprosy Colony
The island is further assigned to the area of kalydon.
Greek island leprosy colony. In 1903 a leper colony was established on spinalonga to isolate people suffering from hansens disease from the healthy population. Greek leper colonies are the subject of victoria hislops best seling debut novel the island millions cured of the disease that once terrified the world leprosy also known as hansens disease. Spinalonga has appeared in novels.
The official greek name of the island today is kalydon. It is said that the greek government turned the island into a leper colony to scare away the remaining turks. A notable part of the colony was how people entered.
Approximately 400 people inhabited the island over the half century. It is near the spinalonga peninsula which often causes confusion as the same name is used for both. The island has also been used as a leper colony.
In greece the isolation center was the island of spinalonga. In 1904 after the cretans evicted the turks from spinalonga the islet was transformed into a leper colony where by 1913 after crete became part of greece anyone afflicted with the disease was. The island of spinalonga officially known as kalydon is located in the greece gulf of elounda in north eastern crete in lasithi next to the town of plaka.
There are many tales of horror about the island especially in regard to the early years of its operation as a leper colony. Spinalonga was opened as a leper colony in 1903 and was used as a place of exile until 1957. So from 1903 until 1957 the island became a leper colony.
Leprosy the oldest known disease to man was one of the most feared and reviled diseases. Spinalonga is an island located in the gulf of elounda in north eastern crete in lasithi next to the town of plaka. The cure for leprosy had not yet been discovered and the contagious disease was regarded with horror.
In spite of its long and turbulent history today spinalonga is mainly known as the leper island. A priest stayed on the island until 1962 to maintain the religious tradition of the greek orthodox church.