Chora, Messenia

Last updated
Chora
Χώρα
Chora road.jpg
Main road in Chora
Greece location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Chora
Coordinates: 37°5′N21°45′E / 37.083°N 21.750°E / 37.083; 21.750
CountryGreece
Administrative region Peloponnese
Regional unit Messenia
Municipality Pylos-Nestor
Municipal unit Nestoras
Elevation
294 m (965 ft)
Population
 (2021) [1]
  Community2,609
Time zone UTC+2 (EET)
  Summer (DST) UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code
24600
Website Municipality of Pylos-Nestoras

Chora is a small town in the western part of Messenia, in the Peloponnese region of southern Greece. With a population of 2,609 inhabitants as of 2021, it is the largest settlement in the municipality of Pylos-Nestoras and the sixth largest settlement in Messenia. [1] Chora is renowned for its long history. It houses an archeological museum and it is located 3 kilometers away from the Palace of Nestor.

Contents

The 1st. primary school 1st primary school.jpg
The 1st. primary school
The secondary school Lyceaum Chora.jpg
The secondary school
The chapel of St. Kyriaki St Kyriaki chapel.jpg
The chapel of St. Kyriaki

Location

Chora is located in the southwestern part of Greece, in the peripheral unit of Messinia in Greece. It is 273 kilometers away from Athens, 205 kilometers away from Patras and 55 kilometers away from Kalamata. It has an altitude of 294 meters and it is built on the foothills of Aigaleo Mountain and 12 kilometers away from the Ionian Sea. Chora is 10 kilometers away from Gargalianoi and 21 kilometers away from Pylos. Romanos beach, Divari beach and the world-famous Voidokilia beach are located near the town.

History

The archeological museum The archeological museum Chora.jpg
The archeological museum

Chora is associated with Ancient Pylos, one of the most important Mycenaean kingdoms, that took part in the Trojan War, with Nestor as its king. Ruins of the Palace of Nestor have been discovered 3 kilometers away from the town. It is the best preserved Mycenaean palace and one of the most important archeological sites in Greece. Excavations executed by Carl Blegen led to the discovery of the complex between 1932 and 1952. [2] It is thought to have been a two-storey building with store rooms, workshops, baths, light wells, reception rooms and a sewage system. The building was in use until 1200 BC, when it was destroyed due to a fire. The archeological site was closed for renovation and has reopened since 2016. Tourists can admire the foundations of the building, together with the Throne Room and main storage areas.
Excavations in Chora have led to the discovery of an ancient cemetery in northern part of the town (Volimidia). This necropolis consists of more than 30 chamber tombs. Beehive tombs can be found in the southern part of the town and particularly in the olive groove of Englianos.
In modern times, the Battle of Chora-Agorelitsa [3] took place in the southern end of the town, close to the village of Ampelophyto, on June 19, 1944. The Greek People's Liberation Army managed to defeat a phalanx of the 3rd Reich.

Main sites and services

Chora is a commercial, administrative and cultural center of the region and provides all the amenities of a modern town. Cafés, restaurant and a large number of stores are located in the main square. There is a hotel in the northern end of the town. The town houses administrative buildings, a medical center, a post office, a bank, a municipal cinema and a football stadium. There are two nursery schools, two primary schools, a secondary school and a lyceum. The town cathedral is dedicated to Saint George. There are totally three parishes, with the other two churches being dedicated to Saint Nicolas and the Holy Apostoles. There are numerous chapels, such as the Byzantine chapel of Saint Constantine and the chapel of the Tansfiguration of Jesus. A large church is dedicated to the patron saint of Chora, Saint Demetrios of Chora that lived in the town in the late 18th century.

Museum

The Archaeological Museum of Chora is situated in the center of the town. It was established in 1969 and it houses important Mycenaean artifacts that have been found in the wider region. Exhibitions include golden jewelry, pottery, frescoes etc. [4]

Events

"Nestoria" are organized every summer for over 40 years. They are a series of cultural celebrations, including a running race, a danse festival organized by the Cultural Association of Chora, music concerts and theater plays. Chora hosts the oldest and largest commercial fair [5] in Messinia to celebrate its patron saint every October. Apart from religious services, there is a large flea market and a food market.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pylos</span> Town in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece

Pylos, historically also known as Navarino, is a town and a former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it has been part of the municipality Pylos-Nestoras, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. It was the capital of the former Pylia Province. It is the main harbour on the Bay of Navarino. Nearby villages include Gialova, Pyla, Elaiofyto, Schinolakka, and Palaionero. The town of Pylos has 2,568 inhabitants, the municipal unit of Pylos 4,559 (2021). The municipal unit has an area of 143.911 km2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Messene</span> Community in Greece

Messene, officially Ancient Messene, is a local community within the regional unit of Messenia in the region (perifereia) of Peloponnese.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Messenia</span> Regional unit in Peloponnese, Greece

Messenia or Messinia is a regional unit in the southwestern part of the Peloponnese region, in Greece. Until the implementation of the Kallikratis plan on 1 January 2011, Messenia was a prefecture (nomos) covering the same territory. The capital and largest city of Messenia is Kalamata.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Babylas of Antioch</span> Patriarch of Antioch from 237 to 253

Babylas was a Syrian patriarch of Antioch (237–253), who died in prison during the Decian persecution. In the Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches of the Byzantine rite his feast day is September 4, in the Roman Rite, January 24. He has the distinction of being the first saint recorded as having had his remains moved or "translated" for religious purposes; a practice that was to become extremely common in later centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Blegen</span> American archaeologist (1887–1971)

Carl William Blegen was an American archaeologist who worked at the site of Pylos in Greece and Troy in modern-day Turkey. He directed the University of Cincinnati excavations of the mound of Hisarlik, the site of Troy, from 1932 to 1938.

The Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports is a government department of Greece. One of the oldest ministries, established in 1833, it is responsible for running the country's education system and for supervising the religions in Greece. The incumbent minister is Kyriakos Pierrakakis. Greece is one of the two countries that have not signed the Lisboa convention which has been ratified by all 47 member states of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg (2012).To this day, the independent department of professional recognition of academic degrees called ATEEN, still acts illegally against graduates of recognized open universities. In 2023, the Council of State published its decision against the ministry's actions of the discriminative non-recognition of degrees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nichoria</span>

Nichoria is a site in Messenia, on a ridgetop near modern Rizomylos, at the northwestern corner of the Messenian Gulf. From the Middle to Late Bronze Age it cultivated olive and terebinth for export. During the Helladic period it was part of the Mycenaean civilisation.

The Pylos Regional Archaeological Project is a diachronic and multi-disciplinary archaeological expedition established in 1990. Its purpose is to study the history of prehistoric and historic settlement in southwestern Greece. The focus of the expedition entails surveying the Bronze Age administrative center known as the Palace of Nestor. Its directors were Professors Jack L. Davis, John Bennet, Susan E. Alcock, Cynthia Shelmerdine, and Yannis Lolos.

Palaio Loutro is a small mountain village in Messenia, Peloponnese, Southern Greece. It is located a few kilometres from Chora, the site of Nestor's Palace, and the seaside port of Pylos. Palaio Loutro means "old bath" in reference to the river that runs between the village and a mountain the locals refer to as "o koufieros".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Voidokilia beach</span> A beach of Messenia, Greece

Voidokilia Beach is a popular beach in Messinia in the Mediterranean area. In the shape of the Greek letter omega (Ω), its sand forms a semicircular strip of dunes. On the land-facing side of the strip of dunes is Gialova Lagoon, an important bird habitat. The beach has been named "A Place of Particular Natural Beauty". It is part of a Natura 2000 protected area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Messini</span> Municipality in Greece

Messini is a municipal unit and the seat town (edra) of the municipality (dimos) of Messini within the regional unit of Messenia in the region (perifereia) of Peloponnese, one of 13 regions into which Greece has been divided. Before 2011 the same hierarchy prevailed, according to Law 2539 of 1997, the Kapodistrias Plan, except that Messenia was a nomos and the Municipal unit was a locality. The dimos existed under both laws, but not with the same constituents.

Thomas Oikonomou was a Greek actor and one of the first modern Greek directors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethnographic Museum of Cyprus</span>

The Cyprus Folk Art Museum is a museum in Cyprus dedicated to the country's ethnographic history. The museum is located in Nicosia directly beside the Cathedral of Agios Ioannis Evangelistis, the Byzantine Museum of Cyprus, the National Struggle Museum, and the current Archbhishop's Palace. The square beside the cathedral and museum is named after Kyprianos of Cyprus who was executed by the Ottomans in 1821 for his support of the Greek Revolution. Facing the museum and cathedral is the Pancyprian Gymnasium, founded in 1812 by Kyprianos and is the oldest educational institution in Cyprus. During the 1990s the name of the museum was changed to the Ethnographic Museum for a short period. The museum is a non-profit cultural organisation and has depended on volunteers since it was founded in 1937.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palace of Nestor</span> Mycenaean archaeological site in Greece

The Palace of Nestor was an important centre in Mycenaean times, and described in Homer's Odyssey and Iliad as Nestor's kingdom of "sandy Pylos".

The Democratic Union or Democratic Union Party was a political party in Greece, founded by the prominent liberal and republican politician Alexandros Papanastasiou.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Archaeological Museum of Chora</span> Archaeological museum in Messenia, Greece

The Archaeological Museum of Chora is a museum in Chora, Messenia, in southern Greece, whose collections focus on the Mycenaean civilization, particularly from the excavations at the Palace of Nestor and other regions of Messenia. The museum was founded in 1969 by the Greek Archaeological Service under the auspices of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Olympia. At the time, the latter included in its jurisdiction the larger part of Messenia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marion Rawson</span>

Marion Rawson was an American archaeologist. She is known for her work with Carl Blegen at Pylos in Greece and ancient Troy in modern Turkey. After her death, the University of Cincinnati established the Marion Rawson Professorship of Aegean Prehistory "in honor of her contributions to the field of Bronze Age Archaeology."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kontakaiika</span> Community in Greece

Kontakaiika is a Greek village in the northwestern part of Samos, 5 km from Karlovasi. The village belongs to the municipality of West Samos. According to the 2021 census, the village has 1,076 inhabitants.

Dimitrios Gkaras is a Greek professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Apollon Paralimnio F.C.(Gamma Ethniki). He was born in Veria on March 23,2001 and grew up in Alexandreia Imathia. Also, he studies Philosophy, in University of Ioannina. Before starting his senior career as a footballer, he was a Handball player too.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Minnesota Messenia Expedition</span> 1953–1975 archaeological project in Greece

The University of Minnesota Messenia Expedition (UMME) was an archaeological expedition in Messenia, Greece, conducted between 1953 and 1975. It was devised and begun by William McDonald, who also served as its director for most of its duration.

References

  1. 1 2 "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.
  2. Palace of Nestor
  3. "Η μάχη Χώρας - Αγορέλιτσας".
  4. odysseus.culture.gr/h/1/gh155.jsp?obj_id=3308
  5. https://www.gargalianoionline.gr/%CE%B1%CF%80%CF%8C-%CF%84%CE%B9%CF%82-14-%CE%AD%CF%89%CF%82-%CF%84%CE%B9%CF%82-20-%CE%BF%CE%BA%CF%84%CF%89%CE%B2%CF%81%CE%AF%CE%BF%CF%85-%CF%84%CE%BF-%CF%86%CE%B5%CF%84%CE%B9%CE%BD%CF%8C-%CF%80-2/