Chrysavgi
Encyclopedia
Voio (municipality)
Voio is a municipality in the Kozani peripheral unit, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town Siatista. It was named after the Voio mountains.-Municipality:...
, West Macedonia
West Macedonia
West Macedonia is one of the thirteen regions of Greece, consisting of the western part of Greek Macedonia. It is divided into the regional units of Florina, Grevena, Kastoria, and Kozani.-Geography:...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. It is one of the most beautiful villages in the Voio
Voio
Voio is a mountain range in the southwestern Kastoria and western Kozani prefecture in Greece. The mountain is part of the Pindus mountain ranges. Its peaks stand over 1,802 m and is located in the south-central part....
mountains. Only 30 minutes from Grevena
Grevena
Grevena is a town and municipality in Greece, capital of the Grevena peripheral unit. The town's current population is 10,447 citizens; it lies about 400 km from Athens and about 180 km from Thessaloniki. The municipality's population is 30,564...
and 20 minutes from Tsotyli
Tsotyli
Tsotyli is a village and a former municipality in Kozani peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Voio, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 4,753 . It is a famous western Greek area, especially known for its old housing...
, it is built with traditional architecture at an altitude of 860 meters. The stone houses give a special and impressive picture.
History
The exact establishment date is difficult to pinpoint due to lack of historical evidences. The older register is from the 1534 codex in the Monastery of Zaborda and gives the old name of the village which was Mirali, a name taken probably from the Turkish commander of the area, Omer Ali. At 1927 it was renamed Stroggylon (which means round) and in 1930 received its final name Chrysavgi (which means “golden dawn”)South of the village lay the stony remains of an ancient military settlement which was used to control the mountain passes. A copper statue of Athena
Athena
In Greek mythology, Athena, Athenê, or Athene , also referred to as Pallas Athena/Athene , is the goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, warfare, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, justice, and skill. Minerva, Athena's Roman incarnation, embodies similar attributes. Athena is...
was found in the area, along with metallic vessels, spearheads and daggers. Also Greek, Roman and Byzantine coins were unearthed by farmers.
The first settlers, according to tradition, were located at "Selio" point, 2 kilometers north of the village. In the area were scattered settlements which were destroyed by Turkish and Albanian raids. The remaining people established the modern village.
In 1793 many Voio villages were Islamized and became manors
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
of the local Beys who were friendly to Ali Pasha
Ali Pasha
Ali Pasha of Tepelena or of Yannina, surnamed Aslan, "the Lion", or the "Lion of Yannina", Ali Pashë Tepelena was an Ottoman Albanian ruler of the western part of Rumelia, the Ottoman Empire's European territory which was also called Pashalik of Yanina. His court was in Ioannina...
. At Chrysavgi the Bey
Bey
Bey is a title for chieftain, traditionally applied to the leaders of small tribal groups. Accoding to some sources, the word "Bey" is of Turkish language In historical accounts, many Turkish, other Turkic and Persian leaders are titled Bey, Beg, Bek, Bay, Baig or Beigh. They are all the same word...
was Ali Koukos, to whom the residents paid the protective tax, one tenth of their production (Dekati). Beside the tax, they were bound to hand over to the Bey each new bride for him to spend the first wedding night with (Ius primae noctis). Some villagers were unable to tolerate this custom and killed the Bey in 1830. Next day was considered to be a "Golden Dawn" for the village. The remains of the Bey were discovered during an excavation in 1962, in "Koukos" point. The retaliation of the Turks for the murder of the Bey was a heavy tax enforced on the village. With this money, a mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
was built in 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:...
(Istanbul) which was named "Mirali Tzamisi".
Chrysavgi and the other villages ceased to be manors in 1836 after a firman
Firman
A firman is a royal mandate or decree issued by a sovereign in certain historical Islamic states, including the Ottoman Empire, Mughal Empire, State of Hyderabad, and Iran under Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. The word firman comes from the meaning "decree" or "order"...
from Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
Mahmud II
Mahmud II
Mahmud II was the 30th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. He was born in the Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, the son of Sultan Abdulhamid I...
.