Zagora (Thessaly)

Municipality of Zagora
Δημοτική Κοινότητα Ζαγοράς (Ζαγορά)

Basic data

Greece

Geographic coordinates

39 ° 27 ' N , 23 ° 6' E Coordinates: 39 ° 27 ' N , 23 ° 6' E

Height above d. M.

458 m

Residents

2251 (2011)

LAU-1 code no.

24030101

Zagora ( Greek Ζαγορά , f. Sg.) Is a place in Pilio , seat of the municipality of Zagora-Mouresi . According to the 2011 census, it has 2074 inhabitants.

Old Zagora (Σωτήρα-Ζαγορά)

There is no precise information about the foundation of the place. In the fables of Aesop , a first time Zagora mentioned. According to the legend, a loud and powerful creature named Zagorina lived in a nearby cave where it guarded the Pelion . She ate people and drank tsipouro . In texts from Byzantine times the name Zagora appears again, where it is used for Mount Pilio. During this time Zagora developed a flourishing trade through its port of Chorefto and was administered as a commercial republic with direct connections to Venice . Zagora sailors, traders, missionaries and explorers traveled to China and South America . In the vicinity of today's place, a little further south-east, there is a hill called Paliokastro (gr. Παληόκαστρο). There are remains from Byzantine times and parts of even older buildings have been found. In the surrounding fields, farmers have repeatedly found graves, pottery, swords and coins with images of the Argo . The finds indicate that there was a pre-Christian settlement there. The historian Nikolaos Georgiadis (Νικόλαος Γεωργιάδης) identifies this with the ancient Myrai (Μύραι), of which Skylax speaks.

The core of today's settlement was the monastery Metamorphosis tou Sotiros (Μεταμορφώσεως του Σωτήρος, Transfiguration of the Lord ). The monastery itself was founded in 1160 and richly endowed by the Christian emperors. It was destroyed by fire in August 1887. The first houses of old Zagora were built around the monastery , which were called Sotira Zagora (Σωτήρα Ζαγορά) to distinguish them. Little by little , other districts emerged: Agios Georgios (Αγίος Γεωργίος), Agias Kyriaki (Αγία Κυριακή) and Agia Paraskevi (Αγία Παρασκευή). The name Sotira Zagora prevailed until the second half of the 16th century when the shorter name Zagora prevailed. It was to be found on the episcopal seals and stamps.

Nea Zagora (Νέα Ζαγορά)

The new Nea Zagora has been developing at great speed since the 16th century. The Sultan Mehmed IV promoted the place by the settlement of Turks in 1669. The area became a leader in the silk trade with a production of up to 30,000 Okades (οκάδες) per year. Trade relations existed with Venice, Dalmatia , the Holy Roman Empire and other European areas. The Zagoriano were bestsellers on European markets and even in France .

At the same time a wool industry developed. Large quantities of wool were marketed in Zagora (including almost all of Livadia's production ). This was processed into so-called "Argastiria" (αργαστήρια) and "Kapotes tis Zagoras" (καπότες της Ζαγοράς).

This flourishing trade required a large merchant fleet. The so-called Zagoriana Karavia (Ζαγοριανά καράβια) were sung about in the poetry. The ships brought the goods to many Mediterranean ports such as Istanbul , Smirni and the major ports in Europe. Many zagor dealers had branches abroad or were based in the metropolises themselves. This exchange, in turn, influenced the city's cultural development.

Under Turkish rule

Under Turkish rule there were already two schools in Zagora. The first, whose founding date is unknown, was located in the Monastery of Metamorphosis tou Sotiros and was only called "school" (Σχολείο). Only language (reading & writing) was taught. The second, known as Ellinomousio (Ελληνομουσείο), was founded around 1702 in the monastery of Agios Prodromos (Αγίος Προδρόμος). This school was famous for its teachers and excellent students. Greek, mathematics, physics, astronomy, geography, philosophy, history and foreign languages were taught. The Patriarch Kallinikos III. (Καλλίνικος Δ΄ Κωνσταντινουπόλεως), who came from Zagora, expanded the school in 1762 with the support of Ioannis Prinkos (Ιωάννης Πρίγκος), a Zagorian merchant and philanthropist who had become rich in Holland , and other wealthy Zagora philanthropist. He set up a boarding school that took in children from poor families and the surrounding area. He also provided them with many books, which laid the foundation for the Zagora library .

To those who were taught at the school include Anthimos Gazi (Άνθιμος Γαζής), Grigorios Konstantas (Γρηγόριος Κωνσταντάς), Rigas Feraios (Ρήγας Φεραίος) Filippos Ioannou (Φίλιππος Ιωάννου) and others. During the Greek Revolution , the Zagorians were led by Kyriakos Basdekis (Κυριάκος Μπασδέκης). They gathered on May 5, 1821 at the hut of Basdekis (today: Chani Tou zisi - Χάνι του Ζήση) and moved south with Filippos Ioannou , where they allied themselves with fighters from other villages. They played an important role in the siege of Volos , where Basdekis was badly wounded. In the Pelion uprising in January 1878, Zagora was the seat of the revolutionary government under Ieronymos Kassavetis (Ιερώνυμος Κασσαβέτης). When the uprising was suppressed with British forces, however, it was achieved that Thessaly was assigned to Greece in the Treaty of Berlin in 1878. Today Zagora is an important economic center, especially due to the cultivation of the Zagora apples. The cooperative (Αγροτικός Συνεταιρισμός) was one of the oldest cooperatives in Greece (founded in 1916) and a model for the success that has been recorded since 1982. In addition, because of the connection between mountain and sea, Zagora is an important tourist destination.

Great personalities

Zagora has produced many important personalities.

First among them are the Patriarch Kallinikos III. (Kallinikos Lapatis), whose brother Grigorios was bishop of Dimitriados-Zagoras (Γρηγορίου αρχιεπισκόπου Δημητριάδος-Ζαγοράς) and Ioannis Prinkos should be mentioned.
In addition, officials in the Danube principalities and local benefactors Konstantinos Maurikios (barefoot) (Κωνσταντίνος Μαυρίκιος Ξυπόλητος), the brothers Efstathios Lapatis and Georgios Lapatis (Ευσγις αγοπος ιυστιος, Γτάτεώραγοπάτειαγιάτειαγπάτιάτεώαγπάτις
Moisis Kritsis (Μωϋσής Κρήτσης), founder of the Kritskiou Scholiou Zagoras (Κρητσκείου Σχολείου Ζαγοράς)
Nikolaos Kritskis (Νικόλαος Κρήτσκης), admiral of the Russian fleet
Ioannis D. Kassvetis (Ιωάννης Δ. Κασσαβέτης), founder of the Scholi Thileon (Σχολής Θηλέων Παρθεναγωγείου)
The family of the general Basdekis (Μπασδέκης)
Filippos Ioannou (Φίλιππος Ιωάννου), known as "Professor of Greek Philosophy" in the 19th century (ο από καθέδρας Έλλην Φιλόσοφος του 19ου αιώνος) and teacher of Queen Amalie- Nationale and for forty years professor at the University of Athens

Nikolaos Kostis (Νικόλαος Κωστής), pharmacologist, professor of obstetrics and doctor to Amalie and Otto

Theodoros Arentoulis (Θεόδωρος Αφεντούλης) pharmacologist and doctor

Alexander Pantos (Αλέξανδρος Πάντος), founder of the Pantiou Scholi (Παντείου Σχολής).

Many Zagorans also lived in Egypt.

literature

Sokratis D. Petmezas (Σωκράτης Δ. Πετμεζάς), Διαχείριση των κοινοτικών οικονομικών και κοινωνική κυριαρχία. Η στρατηγική των προυχόντων: Ζαγορά 1784-1822 , Μνήμων 13 (1991), pp. 77-102
Sokratis D. Petmezas, Ιεράρχηση του χώρου και δυναμική της αγροτικής παραγωγής. Η περίπτωση της Ζαγοράς του Πηλίου, 1800-1860 , Ἳστωρ 5 (1993), pp. 101-150

Individual evidence

↑ Results of the 2011 census at the National Statistical Service of Greece (ΕΛ.ΣΤΑΤ) ( Memento from June 27, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) (Excel document, 2.6 MB)

[VZ2011-1] Results of the 2011 census at the National Statistical Service of Greece (ΕΛ.ΣΤΑΤ) ( Memento from June 27, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) (Excel document, 2.6 MB)