Kastanitsa
Encyclopedia
Kastanitsa is a village in Arcadia
in Greece, on the southern slope of Mount Parnon
. It is noted for its production of chestnut
s, from which it takes its name, and for formerly being a majority Tsakonian
-speaking settlement.
A Byzantine
fort called Koutoupou was placed on the nearby hill of Pyrgos while the restored Byzantine monarchy warred with the Frankish lords of the Peloponnese to recover territory lost in the wake of the Fourth Crusade
.
Further documentary evidence is scant until the eighteenth century. In 1788, a French traveller named Villehouson wrote that Kastanitsa "...has four hundred houses." In 1808, an Englishman, Martin Leek, reported that "This was once a city of great note." On 21 July 1821 the inhabitants proclaimed their independence from Turkish rule from atop the old Byzantine tower and joined in the Greek struggle for independence
.
and never fully recovered; those that were spared eventually lost population due to economic migration in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries).
Most houses are built from local stone, and the village is classified as a heritage site by the Greek government, which places controls on external renovations. Most roofs in Kastanitsa are made of slate
, which, because of its low water absorption, is more resistant to frost damage during the winter snows.
Chestnut forests still surround the village: The largest contains 4500 acres (18.2 km²). In the past, these produced up to four hundred tonnes of chestnuts annually. (Historically, chestnuts were used to make dye for leather and other materials). In addition, there are thirty lime kilns for the production of plaster. (Men in Tsakonian villages often made their living in winter as itinerant plasterers in other parts of the Peloponnese and as far north as Attica, departing their villages at the feast of Saint Demetrius
and returning for Holy Week
). Wintertime population loss has accelerated in the automobile age, and the village presently has only around fifty year-round inhabitants, with a large influx of residents and visitors in summertime.
The village centre contains shops, cafes, taverns, a library, and the Church of the Transfiguration
dating to 1780 and containing Russian woodwork donated by Catherine the Great. There are fifteen country chapels in the countryside outside the village and a church of Saint Pantaleon
built on the ruins of the former monastery dedicated to Saint Nicholas
, founded in 1628 and destroyed in 1826 by Ibrahim Pasha. Automobiles, with few exceptions, may not be driven in the village, and visitors are asked to park in designated areas on its outskirts.
Important holidays in the village include the Feast of the Transfiguration (August 6) and the annual Chestnut Festival, held in October.
Arcadia
Arcadia is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the administrative region of Peloponnese. It is situated in the central and eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. It takes its name from the mythological character Arcas. In Greek mythology, it was the home of the god Pan...
in Greece, on the southern slope of Mount Parnon
Parnon
Parnon or Parnonas or Malevo is a mountain range, or massif, on the east of the Laconian plain and the Evrotas valley. It is visible from Athens above the top of the Argive mountains. The western part is in the Laconia prefecture and the northeastern part is in the Arcadia prefecture. The Parnon...
. It is noted for its production of chestnut
Chestnut
Chestnut , some species called chinkapin or chinquapin, is a genus of eight or nine species of deciduous trees and shrubs in the beech family Fagaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce.-Species:The chestnut belongs to the...
s, from which it takes its name, and for formerly being a majority Tsakonian
Tsakonian language
Tsakonian, Tsaconian, Tzakonian or Tsakonic is a Hellenic language, spoken in the Tsakonian region of the Peloponnese, Greece....
-speaking settlement.
History
Kastanitsa is first mentioned in writing in 1293, but the settlement is thought to be nearly two centuries older, founded by Tsakones fleeing the rule of Slavic tribes that had invaded the Peloponnese. According to Kastaniot tradition, the village was founded by two families called Pentalonas and Bezenikos.A Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
fort called Koutoupou was placed on the nearby hill of Pyrgos while the restored Byzantine monarchy warred with the Frankish lords of the Peloponnese to recover territory lost in the wake of the Fourth Crusade
Fourth Crusade
The Fourth Crusade was originally intended to conquer Muslim-controlled Jerusalem by means of an invasion through Egypt. Instead, in April 1204, the Crusaders of Western Europe invaded and conquered the Christian city of Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire...
.
Further documentary evidence is scant until the eighteenth century. In 1788, a French traveller named Villehouson wrote that Kastanitsa "...has four hundred houses." In 1808, an Englishman, Martin Leek, reported that "This was once a city of great note." On 21 July 1821 the inhabitants proclaimed their independence from Turkish rule from atop the old Byzantine tower and joined in the Greek struggle for independence
Greek War of Independence
The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution was a successful war of independence waged by the Greek revolutionaries between...
.
Present-day Kastanitsa
Currently, the village contains around two hundred-fifty inhabitable houses, representing a significant shrinkage from Villehouson's figure of four hundred. (This is not unusual in the area: Many towns and villages in the area were ruined by the depredations of Ibrahim Pasha of EgyptIbrahim Pasha of Egypt
Ibrahim Pasha was the eldest son of Muhammad Ali, the Wāli and unrecognised Khedive of Egypt and Sudan. He served as a general in the Egyptian army that his father established during his reign, taking his first command of Egyptian forces was when he was merely a teenager...
and never fully recovered; those that were spared eventually lost population due to economic migration in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries).
Most houses are built from local stone, and the village is classified as a heritage site by the Greek government, which places controls on external renovations. Most roofs in Kastanitsa are made of slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
, which, because of its low water absorption, is more resistant to frost damage during the winter snows.
Chestnut forests still surround the village: The largest contains 4500 acres (18.2 km²). In the past, these produced up to four hundred tonnes of chestnuts annually. (Historically, chestnuts were used to make dye for leather and other materials). In addition, there are thirty lime kilns for the production of plaster. (Men in Tsakonian villages often made their living in winter as itinerant plasterers in other parts of the Peloponnese and as far north as Attica, departing their villages at the feast of Saint Demetrius
Saint Demetrius of Thessaloniki
Saint Demetrius of Thessaloniki was a Christian martyr, who lived in the early 4th century.During the Middle Ages, he came to be revered as one of the most important Orthodox military saints, often paired with Saint George...
and returning for Holy Week
Holy Week
Holy Week in Christianity is the last week of Lent and the week before Easter...
). Wintertime population loss has accelerated in the automobile age, and the village presently has only around fifty year-round inhabitants, with a large influx of residents and visitors in summertime.
The village centre contains shops, cafes, taverns, a library, and the Church of the Transfiguration
Transfiguration of Jesus
The Transfiguration of Jesus is an event reported in the New Testament in which Jesus is transfigured and becomes radiant upon a mountain. The Synoptic Gospels describe it, and 2 Peter 1:16-18 refers to it....
dating to 1780 and containing Russian woodwork donated by Catherine the Great. There are fifteen country chapels in the countryside outside the village and a church of Saint Pantaleon
Saint Pantaleon
Saint Pantaleon , counted in the West among the late-medieval Fourteen Holy Helpers and in the East as one of the Holy Unmercenary Healers, was a martyr of Nicomedia in Bithynia during the Diocletian persecution of 303 AD...
built on the ruins of the former monastery dedicated to Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas , also called Nikolaos of Myra, was a historic 4th-century saint and Greek Bishop of Myra . Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker...
, founded in 1628 and destroyed in 1826 by Ibrahim Pasha. Automobiles, with few exceptions, may not be driven in the village, and visitors are asked to park in designated areas on its outskirts.
Important holidays in the village include the Feast of the Transfiguration (August 6) and the annual Chestnut Festival, held in October.