Paramythia
Encyclopedia
Paramythia is a village and a former municipality in Thesprotia
, Epirus
, Greece
. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Souli
, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. Population 7,859 (2001).
, the town's patron saint. This is also the basis of the Albanian and the Turkish name of Paramythia, Ajdhonat, Ajdonat, Ajdonati and Aydonat.
and the Kalamas rivers. The Koryla range (altitude 1,658 m) lies on the eastern side of the city and the Chionistra (1,644 m) to the Northeast. At the city limits is the Kokytos (Cocytus
) River, one of the rivers of the underworld in Greek mythology
. Paramythia's valley is one of the largest in Thesprotia Prefecture
and is one of the major agricultural areas in Epirus.
. Paramythia has been identified with the ancient Chaonian city of Photike , named after Photios, a leader of the Chaonians.
Following the fall of Constantinople to the Fourth Crusade
in 1204, Paramythia became part of the Despotate of Epirus
. The Despotate remained independent for the next two centuries, maintaining the Greek Byzantine traditions. For a brief period in the 14th century (1358–1367), Paramythia came under the rule of the Albanian chieftain Gjin Bua Shpata
, but returned to the Despotate of Epirus
by despot Thomas II Preljubović
, before falling to the Ottomans
in 1449. Paramythia was part of the Ottoman Sanjak of Ioannina
.
took place in Epirus and the town came briefly under the control of guerilla Souliote
forces that demanded the union of Epirus with Greece.
After the end of the Balkan Wars
(1912–1913) the town became part of the Greek state, as with the rest of Epirus periphery
. Until the Second World War the town had a mixed population of Greeks and Cham Albanians
. During the Greek-Italian War the town was burned by Cham Albanian
bands (October 28-November 14, 1940) Almost all buildings inhabited by Muslim Albanians in the town were destroyed during World War II warfare.
On the night of 27 September 1943, Cham militias arrested 53 Greek citizens in Paramythia and executed 49 of them two days later. This action was orchestrated by the brothers Nuri and Mazar Dino (an officer of the Cham militia) in order to get rid of the town's Greek representatives and intellectuals. According to German reports, Cham militias were also part of the firing squad
.
During September 20–29, as a result of serial terrorist activities, at least Greek 75 citizens were killed in Paramythia and 19 municipalities were destroyed. On September 30, the Swiss representative of the International Red Cross, Hans-Jakob Bickel, visited the area and concluded:
Thesprotia
Thesprotia is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the Epirus region. Its capital is the town of Igoumenitsa. It is named after the Thesprotians, an ancient Greek tribe that inhabited the region in antiquity.-History:...
, Epirus
Epirus (periphery)
Epirus , formally the Epirus Region , is a geographical and administrative region in northwestern Greece. It borders the regions of West Macedonia and Thessaly to the east, West Greece to the south, the Ionian Sea and the Ionian Islands to the west and the country of Albania to the north. The...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Souli
Souli
Souli is a municipality in Epirus, northwestern Greece. It was originally settled by both Greek and Albanian refugees who were hunted by the Ottomans in Thesprotia, Greece and Laberia, Albania. In early modern times, it was inhabited by about 12,000 Souliotes. After their expulsion the population...
, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. Population 7,859 (2001).
Name
The name "Paramythia" derives from one of the Virgin Mary's names in Greek ("Paramythia" in Greeks means comforter). During the Byzantine era the town was also known as Agios Donatos , after Saint Donatus of EvoreaSaint Donatus of Evorea
Saint Donatus of Evorea was a Christian saint revered in Albania and Greece.Donatus was born in Butrint, in modern-day Albania, and lived during the reign of the Emperor Theodosius I. According to the 5th-century Greek historian Sozomen, Saint Donatus was Bishop of Evorea, identifiable with...
, the town's patron saint. This is also the basis of the Albanian and the Turkish name of Paramythia, Ajdhonat, Ajdonat, Ajdonati and Aydonat.
Geography
The Paramythia municipal unit consists of 23 communities. The total population of the municipal unit is 7,859. The town of Paramythia itself has a population of 2,862 and lies in an amphitheatre at an altitude of 750 m, at the foot of Mount Koryla, between the AcheronAcheron
The Acheron is a river located in the Epirus region of northwest Greece. It flows into the Ionian Sea in Ammoudia, near Parga.-In mythology:...
and the Kalamas rivers. The Koryla range (altitude 1,658 m) lies on the eastern side of the city and the Chionistra (1,644 m) to the Northeast. At the city limits is the Kokytos (Cocytus
Cocytus
Cocytus or Kokytos, meaning "the river of wailing" , is a river in the underworld in Greek mythology. Cocytus flows into the river Acheron, across which dwells the underworld, the mythological abode of the dead. There are five rivers encircling Hades...
) River, one of the rivers of the underworld in Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
. Paramythia's valley is one of the largest in Thesprotia Prefecture
Thesprotia
Thesprotia is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the Epirus region. Its capital is the town of Igoumenitsa. It is named after the Thesprotians, an ancient Greek tribe that inhabited the region in antiquity.-History:...
and is one of the major agricultural areas in Epirus.
Antiquity
The earliest known inhabitants of the area were the Greek tribe of the ChaoniansChaonians
The Chaonians were an ancient Greek tribe that inhabited the region of Epirus located in the north-west of modern Greece and southern Albania. On their southern frontier lay another Epirote kingdom, that of the Molossians, to their southwest stood the kingdom of the Thesprotians, and to their...
. Paramythia has been identified with the ancient Chaonian city of Photike , named after Photios, a leader of the Chaonians.
Medieval era
Photike, as with the rest of Epirus, became part of the Roman and subsequently Byzantine Empires. In the late Roman era it was the seat of a Bishopric and was renamed after Saint Donatus of Evorea.Following the fall of Constantinople to 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...
in 1204, Paramythia became part of the Despotate of Epirus
Despotate of Epirus
The Despotate or Principality of Epirus was one of the Byzantine Greek successor states of the Byzantine Empire that emerged in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade in 1204. It claimed to be the legitimate successor of the Byzantine Empire, along with the Empire of Nicaea, and the Empire of Trebizond...
. The Despotate remained independent for the next two centuries, maintaining the Greek Byzantine traditions. For a brief period in the 14th century (1358–1367), Paramythia came under the rule of the Albanian chieftain Gjin Bua Shpata
Gjin Bua Shpata
Gjin Bua Shpata , also known as John Bua Spata, was an Albanian ruler of the Despotate of Arta. He was part of the noble Shpata family...
, but returned to the Despotate of Epirus
Despotate of Epirus
The Despotate or Principality of Epirus was one of the Byzantine Greek successor states of the Byzantine Empire that emerged in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade in 1204. It claimed to be the legitimate successor of the Byzantine Empire, along with the Empire of Nicaea, and the Empire of Trebizond...
by despot Thomas II Preljubović
Thomas II Preljubovic
Thomas II Preljubović or Komnenos Palaiologos , was ruler of Epirus in Ioannina from 1366 to his death on December 23, 1384. He also held the title of Albanian-slayer .-Family:...
, before falling to the Ottomans
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
in 1449. Paramythia was part of the Ottoman Sanjak of Ioannina
Sanjak of Ioannina
The Sanjak of Ioannina or Sanjak of Jannina, Sanjak of Janina, Sanjak of Yanina, was one of the sanjaks of the Ottoman Empire which county town was Ioannina in Epirus.- Administration :...
.
Modern era
A Greek language school, had been attested since 1682. It declined and close in the mid 18th century, however, another Greek school was continuously operating from the late 17th century and at 1842 was expanded with additional classes. In 1854 a major revoltEpirus Revolt of 1854
The 1854 revolt in Epirus was one of the most important of a series of Greek uprisings that occurred in the Ottoman-occupied Greek world during that period. When the Crimean War broke out, many Epirote Greeks, with tacit support from the Greek state, revolted against the Ottoman rule...
took place in Epirus and the town came briefly under the control of guerilla Souliote
Souliotes
Souliotes were a warlike community from the area of Souli, in Greece, who became famous across Greece for their resistance against the local Ottoman Pashalik of Yanina ruled by the Muslim Albanian Ali Pasha...
forces that demanded the union of Epirus with Greece.
After the end of the Balkan Wars
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe in 1912 and 1913.By the early 20th century, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, the countries of the Balkan League, had achieved their independence from the Ottoman Empire, but large parts of their ethnic...
(1912–1913) the town became part of the Greek state, as with the rest of Epirus periphery
Epirus (periphery)
Epirus , formally the Epirus Region , is a geographical and administrative region in northwestern Greece. It borders the regions of West Macedonia and Thessaly to the east, West Greece to the south, the Ionian Sea and the Ionian Islands to the west and the country of Albania to the north. The...
. Until the Second World War the town had a mixed population of Greeks and Cham Albanians
Cham Albanians
Cham Albanians, or Chams , are a sub-group of Albanians who originally resided in the coastal region of Epirus in northwestern Greece, an area known among Albanians as Chameria. The Chams have their own peculiar cultural identity, which is a mixture of Albanian and Greek influences as well as many...
. During the Greek-Italian War the town was burned by Cham Albanian
Cham Albanians
Cham Albanians, or Chams , are a sub-group of Albanians who originally resided in the coastal region of Epirus in northwestern Greece, an area known among Albanians as Chameria. The Chams have their own peculiar cultural identity, which is a mixture of Albanian and Greek influences as well as many...
bands (October 28-November 14, 1940) Almost all buildings inhabited by Muslim Albanians in the town were destroyed during World War II warfare.
On the night of 27 September 1943, Cham militias arrested 53 Greek citizens in Paramythia and executed 49 of them two days later. This action was orchestrated by the brothers Nuri and Mazar Dino (an officer of the Cham militia) in order to get rid of the town's Greek representatives and intellectuals. According to German reports, Cham militias were also part of the firing squad
Execution by firing squad
Execution by firing squad, sometimes called fusillading , is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war.Execution by shooting is a fairly old practice...
.
During September 20–29, as a result of serial terrorist activities, at least Greek 75 citizens were killed in Paramythia and 19 municipalities were destroyed. On September 30, the Swiss representative of the International Red Cross, Hans-Jakob Bickel, visited the area and concluded:
20,000 Albanians, with Italian and now German support, spread terror to the rest of the population. Only in the region of Fanari 24 villages were destroyed. The entire harvest was taken by them. In my trip I realized that the Albanians kept the Greeks terrified inside their homes. Young Albanians, just finished from school, wandered heavily armed. The Greek population of Igoumenitsa had to find refuge in the mountains. The Albanians had stolen all the cattle and the fields remain uncultivated.
Notable inhabitants
- Sotirios Voulgaris, the notable Greek who founded the jewelry and luxury goods company BulgariBulgariBulgari is an Italian jeweler and luxury goods retailer which has been owned by the French firm LVMH since October 2011. The trademark is usually written "BVLGARI" in the classical Latin alphabet , and is derived from the surname of the company's Greek founder, Sotirio Voulgaris...
. His jewelry store in Paramythia survives. Following his wish, his sons funded the building of the elementary school of the town. - Dionysius the PhilosopherDionysius the PhilosopherDionysius the Philosopher was a Greek monk who led two farmer revolts against the Ottoman Turks.-Life and career:Dionysius was born in c. 1560 AD in Paramythia, Thesprotia. He was of Greek descent, from Macedonia with Epirotian parentage...
(1560–1611), Greek monk and revolutionary. - Alexios Pallis (1803–1885), Greek writer.
Subdivisions
The municipal unit Paramythia is subdivided into the following communities (constituent villages in brackets):- Agia Kyriaki
- Ampelia (Ampelia, Agios Panteleimonas, Rapi)
- Chrysavgi
- Elataria
- Grika
- Kallithea (Kallithea, Avaritsa, Vrysopoula)
- Karioti
- Karvounari (Karvounari, Kyra Panagia)
- Krystallopigi (Krystallopigi, Kefalovryso)
- Neochori (Neochori, Agios Georgios, Neraida)
- Pagkrates
- Paramythia (Paramythia, Agios Georgios, Agios Donatos)
- Pente Ekklisies
- Petousi
- Petrovitsa
- Plakoti
- PolydrosoPolydroso, ThesprotiaPolydroso is a small village in the municipal unit of Paramythia in Thesprotia, Greece. Its population in 2001 was 127.-Population:-Location and transportation:...
- Prodromi (Prodromi, Dafnoula)
- Psaka (Psaka, Nounesati)
- Saloniki
- Sevasto
- Xirolofos (Xirolofos, Rachouli)
- Zervochori (Zervochori, Asfaka, Kamini)
See also
- List of cities in ancient Epirus
- Axis-Cham Albanian collaborationAxis-Cham Albanian collaborationDuring the Axis occupation of Greece between 1941 and 1944, large parts of the Albanian minority in the Thesprotia prefecture in Epirus, northwestern Greece, known as Chams collaborated with the occupation forces. Fascist Italian as well as Nazi German propaganda promised that the region would be...
- Paramythia executionsParamythia executionsThe Paramythia executions, also known as the Paramythia massacre was a combined Nazi and Cham Albanian war crime perpetrated by members of the 1st Mountain Division and the Muslim Cham militia in the town of Paramythia and its surrounding region, during the Axis occupation of Greece...