The exact date of the creation of Triopetra is unknown and hard to be determined.
Tradition suggests that the settlement was created in approximately 1000AD, during the most flourishing period of the Byzantine Empire.
It is said that Triopetra could have been founded when Crete was liberated from the occupation of the Saracens, which lasted from 912 to 961AD, by the general and later emperor Nikephoros Phokas. By that time Byzantine families were sent to the island to strengthen the Christian population.
This theory is supported by the Byzantine wall paintings in the oldest church of the area which is dedicated to the Transfiguration of Christ.
N.Papadakis, byzantinologist and former rector of the University of Thessaloniki, who came from the neighbouring village Vryses, believed that these wall paintings date from the 10thh-11th century AD.
N.Papadakis also believed that the name of the village Akoumia derives from the name of the prominent Byzantine family "Komnini" because members of it settled in Crete in the 10th century.
According to this view, the place was named after Komnini, who settled here, and Akoumia is a corruption of this name.
N.Papadakis supported that the name of the village founder is written on the wall paintings of the above mentioned church. He was called Koumis and came from the Komnini family.
A less prevailing view for the village name Akoumia says that it derives from the word "koumi" which was used for the small shelters where animals were kept.
"Koumi" is still in use as a place name on the mouintain Siderotas.
In both versions the letter "a" in front of the name "Koumia" was added by using the phrase "sta Koumia" which means "at Koumia".
In his work about cities and villages of Crete, historian Stergios Spanakis mentions that there was a Turkish two-floor-tower with big windows in Koumia village.
Villages Koumia and Vryses counted 464 habitants in 1577. The Turkish census of 1659 counted a total of 95 houses. In the Aegyptian census of 1834 the name "Akoumia" was written by mistake. In the census of 1881 it is written Koumia as part of the municipality of Agiou Pnevmatos with 660 Christian habitants and in 1900 with 810 habitants. In 1920 the village is written Akoumia as seat of a municipality under the same name with 711 habitants.
In 1925 Akoumia was seat of a municipality that also included villages Vryses and Platanes. Platanes later became part of the municipality of Kedrohori.
Until 1925 Akoumia belonged to the municipality of Agiou Pnevmatos. Seat of this municipality was village Adraktos because it was located in the middle of the 11 villages of the municipality.
Heads of the municipality usually came from Akoumia which was the biggest settlement of the municipality. The name "Agiou Pnevmatos" came from the monastery which is located near village Kissos and was dedicated to the Holy Spirit (Agio Pnevma in Greek). The monastery housed the "Greek School" of the municipality.
Akoumia then belonged to a municipality along with Vryses, which is located 500m from Akoumia and had 129 habitants in the census of 2001, and Triopetra, which is located about 8km from Akoumia and had 81 habitants in the census of 2001. Triopetra was considered a separate settlement by the decision 3/1993 of the municipal council and the Official Government Gazette 882/6-12-1993/B. In 1997 the Greek government introduced the merging of local authorities into larger municipalities and the area was included in the municipality Lambis with seat in Spili village.
Agia Triada
Triopetra
