Zagora, Greece
Encyclopedia
Zagora is a village and a former municipality
in Magnesia, Thessaly
, Greece
. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Zagora-Mouresi, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. The biggest village of Mt. Pelion
, it was at its commercial and cultural peak in the 8th and 7th centuries BCE.
Sights of interest
The library of Zagora, which includes thousands of rare books, is known for holding the original manuscript of "A few seconds" by Fanis Loverdos. Famous scholars, like Dr Dragogiannis, have studied the rare volumes of the library
to great extend. The school of Rigas Feraios
or Hellenic museum
as it is known, is the oldest school on Pelion. Kallinikos Lapatis (Patriarch
of Constantinople
), the poet of the Greek rebellion Rigas Fereos and the Byzantine Emperor Ioannes Alisafes were students of the school amongst others. The Manor House of Kavoukis is quite famous as the birthplace of the beautiful gymnast and TV persona, Lefteris. It is now owned by Vily a superstar of the Luxembourgian theatre
and a staunch anarchist
.
History
The first mention of Zagora is in the Aesopian Myths
. The legend was that a powerful and loud female creature, Zagorina, guarded mount Pelion and lived in a cave very near the current position of Zagora. The beast ate humans and drank local tsipouro. There are texts dating back to the Byzantine
era that mention Pelion by the name Zagora. During the Byzantine Empire, Zagora, through its harbor, Chorefto, developed significant trading activity and was ruled as a Merchant Republic, with direct ties to Venice
. The mayor of Zagora is still called "the President". Zagorian sailors, merchants, missionaries and explorers have travelled as far as China and South America. Silk merchant
Angelo di Stamo was one of the first people to meet Marquis de Parana, Prime Minister of the Brazilian Empire
. In 1897 the author Yohannes Lazarres won first price
in Tsangarada book contest for his masterpiece "Eis meros skieron".
Famous People
Zagora is the birth place of Antoine Carpetopule, a distinguished Greek
football journalist
. Demetriu Carpetopule, his brother, is a famous lawyer
and facebook commentator. The local chef Kivis is well known in North America for his organic "trahanas" and other delicacies. Zagorian descendants can be found all over the world, including A.Koutsaftis in New Zealand, Y.Kafantaris in Sweden, T.Kavvadias in Britain, P.Chrysochou in Denmark and N.Polymerou in Germany.
Location
Zagora is located N of Volos and W of Chorefto and is connected to the capital of Magnesia by the GR-34. The road to the north leads to the independent state of Pouri. Up in Schizopetra, Constantine Kavvadias is planning to build the Zagorian Tower.
Education and commercial activity
Zagora has a primary and a secondary school, five churches, six coffee houses,two bakeries, two banks, a post office, and seven squares (plateia
).
[-2011 5,830
Communities and Municipalities of Greece
For the new municipalities of Greece see the Kallikratis ProgrammeThe municipalities and communities of Greece are one of several levels of government within the organizational structure of that country. Thirteen regions called peripheries form the largest unit of government beneath the State. ...
in Magnesia, Thessaly
Thessaly
Thessaly is a traditional geographical region and an administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thessaly was known as Aeolia, and appears thus in Homer's Odyssey....
, 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 Zagora-Mouresi, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. The biggest village of Mt. Pelion
Pelion
Pelion or Pelium is a mountain at the southeastern part of Thessaly in central Greece, forming a hook-like peninsula between the Pagasetic Gulf and the Aegean Sea...
, it was at its commercial and cultural peak in the 8th and 7th centuries BCE.
Sights of interest
The library of Zagora, which includes thousands of rare books, is known for holding the original manuscript of "A few seconds" by Fanis Loverdos. Famous scholars, like Dr Dragogiannis, have studied the rare volumes of the library
Library of Alexandria
The Royal Library of Alexandria, or Ancient Library of Alexandria, in Alexandria, Egypt, was the largest and most significant great library of the ancient world. It flourished under the patronage of the Ptolemaic dynasty and functioned as a major center of scholarship from its construction in the...
to great extend. The school of Rigas Feraios
Rigas Feraios
Rigas Feraios or Rigas Velestinlis was a Greek writer and revolutionary of Aromanian origin, active in the Modern Greek Enlightenment, remembered as a Greek national hero, a victim of Balkan uprising against the Ottoman Empire and a forerunner of the Greek War of Independence.-Early...
or Hellenic museum
Hellenic Museum of Zagora
The Hellenic Museum of Zagora, also known as the Old School of Rigas, is a historic school museum in Magnesia, Greece.-External links:*** "The school of Rigas Fereos or Hellenic museum as it was known, the oldest school on Pelion"***...
as it is known, is the oldest school on Pelion. Kallinikos Lapatis (Patriarch
Patriarch
Originally a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family. The system of such rule of families by senior males is called patriarchy. This is a Greek word, a compound of πατριά , "lineage, descent", esp...
of Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
), the poet of the Greek rebellion Rigas Fereos and the Byzantine Emperor Ioannes Alisafes were students of the school amongst others. The Manor House of Kavoukis is quite famous as the birthplace of the beautiful gymnast and TV persona, Lefteris. It is now owned by Vily a superstar of the Luxembourgian theatre
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
and a staunch anarchist
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
.
History
The first mention of Zagora is in the Aesopian Myths
Aesop
Aesop was a Greek writer credited with a number of popular fables. Older spellings of his name have included Esop and Isope. Although his existence remains uncertain and no writings by him survive, numerous tales credited to him were gathered across the centuries and in many languages in a...
. The legend was that a powerful and loud female creature, Zagorina, guarded mount Pelion and lived in a cave very near the current position of Zagora. The beast ate humans and drank local tsipouro. There are texts dating back to the 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...
era that mention Pelion by the name Zagora. During the Byzantine Empire, Zagora, through its harbor, Chorefto, developed significant trading activity and was ruled as a Merchant Republic, with direct ties to Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
. The mayor of Zagora is still called "the President". Zagorian sailors, merchants, missionaries and explorers have travelled as far as China and South America. Silk merchant
Marco Polo
Marco Polo was a Venetian merchant traveler from the Venetian Republic whose travels are recorded in Il Milione, a book which did much to introduce Europeans to Central Asia and China. He learned about trading whilst his father and uncle, Niccolò and Maffeo, travelled through Asia and apparently...
Angelo di Stamo was one of the first people to meet Marquis de Parana, Prime Minister of the Brazilian Empire
Brazilian Empire
The Empire of Brazil was a 19th-century state that broadly comprised the territories which form modern Brazil. Its government was a representative parliamentary constitutional monarchy under the rule of Emperors Dom Pedro I and his son Dom Pedro II, both members of the House of Braganza—a...
. In 1897 the author Yohannes Lazarres won first price
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
in Tsangarada book contest for his masterpiece "Eis meros skieron".
Famous People
Zagora is the birth place of Antoine Carpetopule, a distinguished Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
football journalist
George Hook
George Hook is an Irish broadcaster, journalist and rugby union pundit. He had a career as a rugby union coach and businessman, before becoming a rugby pundit with Raidió Teilifís Éireann...
. Demetriu Carpetopule, his brother, is a famous lawyer
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
and facebook commentator. The local chef Kivis is well known in North America for his organic "trahanas" and other delicacies. Zagorian descendants can be found all over the world, including A.Koutsaftis in New Zealand, Y.Kafantaris in Sweden, T.Kavvadias in Britain, P.Chrysochou in Denmark and N.Polymerou in Germany.
Location
Zagora is located N of Volos and W of Chorefto and is connected to the capital of Magnesia by the GR-34. The road to the north leads to the independent state of Pouri. Up in Schizopetra, Constantine Kavvadias is planning to build the Zagorian Tower.
Education and commercial activity
Zagora has a primary and a secondary school, five churches, six coffee houses,two bakeries, two banks, a post office, and seven squares (plateia
Plateia
Plateia or platia is the Greek word for town square. Most Greek and Cypriot cities have several town squares which are a point of reference in travelling and guiding...
).
Historical population
| Year | Town population | Municipality population |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 2,841 | - |
| 1991 | 2,410 | 3,922 |
| 2001 | 2,389 | 3,829 |
[-2011 5,830
Notable people
- Patriarch Callinicus IV of ConstantinoplePatriarch Callinicus IV of ConstantinopleCallinicus IV , born Constantine Mavrikios , was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople for a few months in 1757 and a writer and scholar....
- Yannis Kordatos, scholar
- Alexandros Pantos, founder of Panteion UniversityPanteion UniversityThe Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences , usually referred to simply as the Panteion University, is a university located in Athens, Greece...
External links
| North: Keramidi Keramidi Keramidi is a village and a former community in Magnesia, Thessaly, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Rigas Feraios, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 782 . Keramidi combines mountain and sea. It is situated at 300 meters above sea level and... |
||
| West: Portaria Portaria Portaria is a village and a former municipality in Magnesia, Thessaly, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Volos, of which it is a municipal unit. It is located on Mt. Pelion, facing the Pagasetic Gulf, north of Volos and its suburbs... and Makrinitsa Makrinitsa Makrinitsa , nicknamed "balcony of Mt. Pelion," is a village and a former community in Magnesia, Thessaly, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Volos, of which it is a municipal unit. It is 5 km NE of Volos... |
Zagora | East: Mouresi Mouresi Mouresi is a village and a former municipality in Magnesia, Thessaly, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Zagora-Mouresi, of which it is a municipal unit. Its population is 3,107 . The seat of the municipality was in Tsagkarada... , Aegean Sea Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus... |
| South: Sipiada Sipiada Sipiada is a former municipality in Magnesia, Thessaly, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality South Pelion, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 2,358 . The seat of the municipality was in Lafkos.... |