History – Important dates

The history of Pelion? Enormous…! As it is also the case for Thessaly, and Greece in general!!!

According to Herodotus (see the seventh book of  his History of Polymnia), the whole area of Thessaly was a huge lake, which transformed into sea after the emergence of major earthquakes. This era is dated back to 190 million years, during the so-called  Mesozoic Era, i.e. an interval of geological time from about 251 million years ago to 65 million years ago, having begun in the wake of the Permian-Triassic event. The Permian-Triassic event marks the fifth, i.e. the last, period of the Paleozoic Era.

The aforementioned version of Thessaly's geological history was verified much later by geological surveys, conducted in the area of Pelion and Thessaly in general. The significant findings, which support the above mentioned historical writing, pertain to fossils of sea shells found during the geological surveys on the rocks of Pelion mountain, even at high altitudes, indicating that the peaks of Pelion were once at the bottom of the sea. Later on, meaning approximately 140 million years ago, an upward orogenetic movement of immense force, lifted above the sea waves a narrow strip of land, which initiated from Macedonia and included Olympus, Kissavos, Pelion, and part of North Evia. In this light, it becomes obvious that Pelion is one of the oldest mountains in Greece.

293 BC
Dimitriada if founded by Demetrius I Poliorcetes (337 - 283 BC) with the aim to transfer the capital of his state in the South, in order its administration to be more effective. Demetrius I Poliorcetes was one of the successors of Alexander the Great and a leading figure in the deadly wars for the maintenance of the occupation of East Macedonia's territories, after the death of Alexander the Great. He was the son of the eminent general of Alexander’s army, Antigonus I Monophthalmus. The ancient Demetrias is located 5km. far from Volos, near to the ancient Pagases (the so called Alikes, nowadays).

283 - 289 BC
The power of Demetrius I Poliorcetes in Thessaly and Magnesia is maintained by his son, Antigonus Gonatas, while the capital of his state continued to be Demetrias, founded by his father.

217 BC
Demetrias reaches a population of  20,000 people, under the support of the king of Macedonia Phillip V.

198 BC
Thessaly is destroyed by Phillip V, in order the Romans not to find supplies and benefit financially after their invasion in the area.

167 - 146 BC
Magnesia and Thessaly are occupied by the Romans.

276 - 324 BC
The Roman generals and contenders of the power, with deceptive strategies and after successive fights between them, were killing each other.  The final winner emerged in 324 AD, and it was Constantine or Constantine the Great (Emperor of the West from 312 AD to 324 AD and  sole Emperor from 324 AD to 337 AD), who defeated Licinius in the final battle. In 313 AD, Constantine had signed  the Edict of Milan that proclaimed religious toleration in the Roman Empire, and therefore Christianity was for the first time under the protection of the Emperor.

4th. century AD
Christianity becomes now a widely known religion, permitted to be adhered, and therefore spreads throughout Magnesia.

7th. centrury AD
The evacuation of Demetrias is a fact. Many residents move to the wider area, which is named (mainly by Slavic people of Magnesia) "Gkolos" or "Golos" (i.e. nowadays the geographic area of Volos). Slavic people appear also in Pelion, exploiting the natural goods to survive.

Late 11th. century – 12th. century AD
Powerful families of landlords from Thessaly begun to found Monasteries in Pelion, which provided a kind of protection and independence to the miserable Vlachs slaves as well as to other Greek people. All these people, during their stay in the Monasteries, could work in the monasterial , reassuring in this way their daily food.

12th. century AD
The Monastery of Agios Lavrentios is founded by Roman Catholic Benedictine monks. Those people moved to the Monastery in order to work there, were also the first residents of the village of Agios Lavrentios.

13th. century AD
The Monastery of Makrinitissis or the so-called Monastery of Mary Oxias Episkepseos, is founded by Konstantinos Maliasinos in the mountain of Drogos, as it was named this part of Pelion. Later on, the famous village of Pelion, called Makrinitsa, was built around this area. The Monastery of Makrinitissis was built in the place, where the church of Madonna (Panagia) is located nowadays.

1421 AD
During the years of the Turkish rule (Tourkokratia), both Thessaly and Magnesia are occupied by the Turks. At that times, the castle of Golos was repaired, and used to supervise the Pagasitikos Gulf. The Turkish were not initially interested in Pelion, since their transfer in the area was considered to be difficult and meaningless.

17th. century AD
The fertile land of Pelion welcomes new cultivations. The production of olives grows rapidly as well as of vines, the fruits of which, apart from grapes, provide also wine of very good quality. Additionally, the production of silk is widespread in the villages of Pelion, offering significant profits to its local producers. The production of silk is amplified by the large number of mulberry trees in the area, since their leaves contribute to the rearing of silkworms.

1668 AD
Even the cruel Turkish conquerors recognized the beauty and the charm of Pelion… The Ottoman Sultan Mehmet IV, fascinated by Pelion’s natural beauty, offered the majority of the villages to his mother, prohibiting the settlement of  the Turks. In this way, many of the villages of Pelion were transformed to sacred religious property dedicated to social, charitable and religious purposes (the so called "vakoufia"), and therefore gained significant benefits and tax credits. In Pelion, the villages characterized as "vakoufia", were: Agios Lavrentions, Agios Georgios, Drakeia, Argalasti, Kissos, Makrinitsa, Mouresi, Tsagarada, Pinakates, Makrirachi, Lafkos, Syki, Promiri and Trikeri. The other villages of Pelion were under the jurisdiction of the Pasha of Larissa.

1791 AD
The book "Neoteriki Geografia" by Daniel Philippides and Gregory Konstantas is printed in Vienna. The two authors were born in the village Milies of Pelion, and with this book they provided important information for the flourishing Pelion of those timew as well as for Greece in general.

1821 AD
After several years of intense and secret preparations, the flag of the first revolution of Pelion, instigated  by Anthimos Gazis, was raised on May 7th., 1821 in the village Milies of Pelion. Nevertheless, the organization of this effort proved to be inadequate, since the Turkish counterattack succeeded in ceasing the revolution in Pelion. The Greek resistance lasted until the August of 1821.

1823 AD
With Anthimos Gazis as the main instigator one more, and Captain Mitros Basdekis and Karatasos as moving forces, the revolution in Pelion began again on January of 1823. The fight proved to be again uneven, and the Turks during their attacks burned many villages, looted houses and tortured many local people. So, the capitulation didn’t take long to be made.

1840 AD
The villages of Pelion lose their privileges and come under the jurisdiction of the Turkish commander of Volos, where the imposed taxes would be paid.

1854 AD
The foundation of the Greek Consulate in Volos.

1854 AD
The third revolution against the Turkish occupation takes place. Its leaders were Theodore Afentoulis from Zagora and Nikolaos Filaretos from Promiri, who declared the revolution on March 19th., 1854. The participation of local people was, however, minimal, since fear and hesitation had prevailed. During the fight in Ano Gkolos, the Greeks were defeated after heroic efforts.

1878 AD
The fourth revolution in Pelion had the same results as the previous three. Despite the fact that the enthusiasm of the local people was immense, the organization and the armament didn’t contribute to success and liberation. The fights given by the Greeks were heroic, without however being successful in the end.

1881 AD
On July 20^th, 1881 the Treaty between Greece and Turkey is signed in Constantinople, according to which Thessaly was granted to Greece. On November 2nd of the same year, the Greek army enters the city of Voles and the remaining Turks in the area flee by sea

Around 1900 AD
The popular painter Theofilos Chazimichail from Mytilene or Theofilos Kefalas, as it was his real name, comes to be settled in Volos, and later in Pelion. His works of art decorated the walls and the roofs of houses and shops in Volos and in the villages of Pelion. At that time, the landowner Giannis Kontos was his protector, and Theofilos created many of his artworks on his honour. He was obliged to leave from Pelion in 1927, disappointed due to the teasing that it is said that he received from the local people for his good and naïve personality.

1902 AD
The railway line Volos-Milies is constructed and contributes to the transportation of the agricultural products of Pelion to the commercial port of Volos.

1941 AD
Greece, after a constant and powerful resistance, is occupied finally by Germans. Volos and Pelion are not an exception.

1943 AD
In the struggle for liberation from the Germans, Pelion and its villages play a crucial role, since hideouts are created by the rebels of ELAS in the area and Pelion becomes a base for resistance activities.

1980 AD
Specific terms of buildings’ construction are enacted in Pelion, under the Presidential Decree known also as the Decree of Pelion, according to which Pelion villages are considered to be heritage settlements. And in this way, we come in our days that Pelion, in spite of preserving the signs of history, remains always beautiful, while at the same time it is characterized by contemporary features and the fact that the daily life of  the local people has changed considerably. The permanent residents have always worked in agriculture, and the circumstances uder which they used to work in the past was cruel.

The land of Pelion is fertile, but it still needs the human effort to deliver its goods. The floriculture and the apiculture are even nowadays an integral part of some areas’ tradition, and so is the trade of wood and the craft of traditional  sweets. Chestnuts, cherries, pears are just a few indicative example of the fertility of Pelion’s land. Among these, the famous apples of Pelion are of course ranked first. Apart from agriculture, the residents of the area have turned in recent years to tourism as well.

In Pelion tourism is active during the whole year, for the beauties of Pelion remain countless both in the winter months and the summer months. Visitors can be served and enjoy the genuine hospitality of Pelion in beautiful picturesque guest houses, rooms to let, furnished apartments, renovated neoclassical houses as well as in organized hotels with modern amenities, and always respecting Pelion’s natyral environment.

In the traditional taverns and restaurants, local food of Pelion is served, among other goods as well as local wines and tsipouro. The cafés in the picturesque squares of the villages serve caps of coffee with traditional sweets, offering also beautiful and peaceful  surroundings.

All tones of green accompanies everywhere the thousands of visitors of Pelion from Greece and abroad, the holidays of whom  are unforgettable in this beautiful area, in which every corner has its own history, dating back from the era of Ancient Greece, the Middle Ages, the Turkish occupation to the contemporary Greece.