Karytaina
Karytaina
Καρύταινα | |
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UTC+3 (EEST ) |
Karytaina or Karitaina (
Location
Karytaina is 54 km (34 mi) from the capital of Arcadia, Tripoli, 20 km (12 mi) from Megalopoli and 17 km (11 mi) from Stemnitsa, built on the slopes of the hill of Achreiovouni, some 550 m above sea level.[2][3]
The town was formerly the seat of the municipality of
Ηistory
The site of Karytaina is often identified with the ancient city of Brenthe, but although a settlement certainly existed there before the Frankish conquest in c. 1205, few archaeological remains survive.[6] The Greek archaeologist N.K. Moutsopoulos has suggested the existence of a 12th-century church inside the Karytaina Castle.[7] The name of the town itself is of uncertain provenance: the most common theories are that it derives either from a Slavic root or is a corruption of Gortyna, but it has also been suggested that it derives from the Greek word for walnut, karydion, or from the female name Karitaina.[6][7]
With the Frankish conquest and the establishment of the
The town and its castle lost their importance thereafter, and are only intermittently mentioned in the 14th–15th centuries until the time of the Ottoman conquest in 1460.[9] The 17th-century Ottoman traveller Evliya Çelebi mentions the town but did not visit it, while under Venetian rule (1687–1715) only the town, and not the castle, is mentioned by the Venetian governors. During the second period of Ottoman rule after 1715, the castle was abandoned and fell in ruins, and remained so until the 19th century. The town itself grew in importance as the centre of a district (kaza) and a marketplace, especially for wheat; it was also a centre for silk and carpet manufacture. At the turn of the 18th century, François Pouqueville recorded that the district comprised 130 villages with 28,170 inhabitants, of which 3,000 in Karytaina itself.[2][10]
Karytaina was taken by the Greek rebels on the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence in 1821, and formed one of the first strongholds of the rebellion, earning the nickname "Bastion of 1821".[2] In 1826 Theodoros Kolokotronis used it as a base of operations against Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt and as a shelter for women and children.[3]
Sights
Κarytaina has been listed as a protected traditional settlement.[2] Its unique townscape has earned Karytaina the moniker of the "Greek Toledo",[11] and was depicted on the reverse of the Greek 5000 drachmas banknote in 1984–2001.[12]
The main sight is the 13th-century Frankish castle, built at the top of the hill, with its highest point rising above the town. It consists of a triangular circuit wall, over 110 m in the long sides and ca. 40 m at its base, and a central structure which served as the barons' residence, built above the castle cistern.
Also to the Frankish period, but repaired by the Byzantine lord Raoul Manuel Melikes in 1439/40, dates the 50-metre-long (160 ft) bridge that crosses the Alpheios over five arches.[7][2] The town also has several churches, of which the most notable are the cathedral of the Annunciation (Ευαγγελισμός της Θεοτόκου), built in 1878; the 11th-century Church of St. Nicholas (Άγιος Νικόλαος); the 15th-century Church of the Life-giving Spring (Ζωοδόχος Πηγή), distinguished by its tall bell-tower; the church of St. Athanasios, at the entrance of the town, dedicated to Karytaina's patron saint, who was the bishop of the city in the early 18th century.[2] Further landmarks also include ruins of Byzantine-era tower, of a Turkish bath, and the large Kavia cave (σπήλαιο Κάβιας).[2] Karytaina hosts several events in August, most notably the annual Women's Bazaar.[2]
Nearby sights include the
Historical population
Year | Population |
---|---|
1920[15] | 881 |
1928[16] | 1,083 |
1940[17] | 892 |
1951[18] | 725 |
1961[19] | 577 |
1971[20] | 456 |
1981[21] | 304 |
1991[22] | 248 |
2001[23] | 257 |
2011[24] | 274 |
2021[1] | 163 |
Notable individuals
- Saint Athanasios (1664–1735), Bishop of Christianoupolis and Karytaina from 1711 until his death, known for his charitable work[25]
- Nikolaos Dimitrakopoulos (1864–1921), jurist and Minister for Justice of Greece[25]
- Dimosthenis Valavanis (1829–1854), poet[25]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Αποτελέσματα Απογραφής Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2021, Μόνιμος Πληθυσμός κατά οικισμό" [Results of the 2021 Population - Housing Census, Permanent population by settlement] (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority. 29 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Δήμος Γόρτυνος: Καρύταινα (in Greek). Municipality of Gortyna. 2003. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
- ^ a b Dinos Kiousis (16 October 2010). Στην ιστορική Καρύταινα. Kathimerini (in Greek). Retrieved 6 March 2014.
- ^ Δήμος Γόρτυνος: Δημοτικά Διαμερίσματα (in Greek). Municipality of Gortyna. 2003. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
- ^ "ΦΕΚ B 1292/2010, Kallikratis reform municipalities" (in Greek). Government Gazette.
- ^ a b c Bon 1969, pp. 105, 365–366.
- ^ a b c d e Gregory 1991, pp. 1108–1109.
- ^ Bon 1969, pp. 105–106, 367–368.
- ^ a b Bon 1969, p. 368.
- ^ Bon 1969, pp. 368 (note 3), 369 (note 1).
- ^ Miller 1921, p. 72.
- ^ Τραπεζογραμμάτια Δραχμών (PDF) (in Greek). Bank of Greece. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
- ^ Bon 1969, pp. 629–633.
- ^ Δήμος Γόρτυνος: φαράγγι Λούσιου (in Greek). Municipality of Gortyna. 2003. Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
- ^
Ministry of National Economy. 1935. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2013-05-30. (in Greek and French)
- ^
Ministry of National Economy, General Statistical Service of Greece. 1935. (in Greek and French)
- ^
Ministry of National Economy, General Statistical Service of Greece. 1950. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2014-10-24. (in Greek and French)
- ^
National Statistical Service of Greece. 1955. Archived from the originalon 2014-10-24. (in Greek and French)
- ^
National Statistical Service of Greece. 1962. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2014-10-24. (in Greek and French)
- ^
National Statistical Service of Greece. 1972. (in Greek and French)
- ^
National Statistical Service of Greece. 1982. (in Greek and French)
- ^
National Statistical Service of Greece. 1994. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2016-03-03. (in Greek and French)
- ^
National Statistical Service of Greece. 2003.
- ^ 2011 Greek census: "Απογραφή Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2011. ΜΟΝΙΜΟΣ Πληθυσμός". Hellenic Statistical Authority. (in Greek)
- ^ a b c Δήμος Γόρτυνος: Ιστορικές προσωπικότητες (in Greek). Municipality of Gortyna. 2003. Archived from the original on 1 June 2013. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
Sources
- Bon, Antoine (1969). La Morée franque. Recherches historiques, topographiques et archéologiques sur la principauté d'Achaïe [The Frankish Morea. Historical, Topographic and Archaeological Studies on the Principality of Achaea] (in French). Paris: De Boccard. OCLC 869621129.
- Gregory, Timothy E. (1991). "Karytaina". In ISBN 0-19-504652-8.
- OCLC 457893641.
External links
- www.karitena.gr
- Arcadia - Karytaina (in Greek)