Kefalovryso, Trikala
Encyclopedia
Kefalovryso is a village in Trikala Prefecture
, Greece
. Kefalovryso had a 2001 population of 945 and is located 7 kilometers northwest of Trikala
in the Thessalian Plain and close to the Pineios river.
During the 1960 decade the population of Kefalovryso decreased as many locals moved to Germany, USA and Australia in search of a better quality of life.
Mertzion, just like all Thessaly
, was initially part of the Byzantine Empire
. In 1204, after the Fourth Crusade
, Thessaly was assigned to Boniface of Montferrat
and in 1225 was conquered by Theodore Komnenos Doukas
, ruler of Epirus
. From 1271 to 1318 it was an independent despotate that extended to Acarnania
and Aetolia
, run by a branch of the Epirote Komnenos Doukas dynasty. In 1309 the Almogavars
of the Catalan Company
of the East (Societas Catalanorum Magna) settled there for a time. Later it was occupied by the Serbs
until 1393, when it fell under Ottoman
rule. In 1821 Thessaly participated in the Greek War of Independence
, but did not become part of independent Greece until 1881.
till 1912, when it became an autonomous community as Mertsi-Mikro Community. The newly-formed community also included the settlements of Lesteno (now Dipotamos) and Roggia. In 1919 Lesteno and Roggia were extracted from the community of Mikro Mertsi and formed the community of Lesteno. In 1924 the Mikro Mertsi community was renamed into Kefalovryso Community. The modern name of the village is Kefalovryso (derived from kefali=head, main and vrysi=spring, fountain).
. He used to throw his loot into a stream that led from Metsovo, and let the current carry them to the lake near Mertsi, where his aide gathered them, thus avoiding any checks by the Gendarmerie. One day however a villager saw his aide returning laden from the lake, and notified the gendarmes. They then seized the brigand, cut off his head and threw it into the stream, whereupon his aide found it in the lake.
Since 1999, the village has been a municipal department of the Municipality of Faloreia, also being its seat until November 2010.
After the prefectural elections of November 2010 the village has become a part of the Municipality of the town of Trikala.
, Politician, born in Kefalovryso in 1910
Jorgo Papavassiliou, Film director in Germany, origin from Kefalovryso
Trikala Prefecture
Trikala is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Thessaly. Its capital is the town of Trikala. The regional unit includes the town of Kalampaka and the Meteora monastery complex.-Geography:...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. Kefalovryso had a 2001 population of 945 and is located 7 kilometers northwest of Trikala
Trikala
Trikala is a city in northwestern Thessaly, Greece. It is the capital of the Trikala peripheral unit, and is located NW of Athens, NW, of Karditsa, E of Ioannina and Metsovo, S of Grevena, SW of Thessaloniki, and W of Larissa...
in the Thessalian Plain and close to the Pineios river.
Population
| Year | Ppl. |
|---|---|
| 1889 | 555 |
| 1920 | 679 |
| 1928 | 796 |
| 1940 | 932 |
| 1951 | 1053 |
| 1961 | 1150 |
| 1971 | 928 |
| 1981 | 905 |
| 1991 | 907 |
| 2001 | 945 |
During the 1960 decade the population of Kefalovryso decreased as many locals moved to Germany, USA and Australia in search of a better quality of life.
Early history (1163-1881)
Kefalovryso's initial name was Mertzi or Mertzion (Greek: Μέρτζιον/Μέρτζι). The word Mertzion derives from the old Slavic word мрк, which means dark/black and refers to the dark colour of the soil. The first official reference to Mertzi is in a 1163 document of the Holy Bishopric of Stagai, and it is again found in several 14th-century monastic property deeds.Mertzion, just like all 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....
, was initially part of the Byzantine Empire
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...
. In 1204, after 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...
, Thessaly was assigned to Boniface of Montferrat
Boniface of Montferrat
Boniface of Montferrat was Marquess of Montferrat and the leader of the Fourth Crusade. He was the third son of William V of Montferrat and Judith of Babenberg, born after his father's return from the Second Crusade...
and in 1225 was conquered by Theodore Komnenos Doukas
Theodore Komnenos Doukas
Theodore Komnenos Doukas was ruler of Epirus from 1215 to 1230 and of Thessalonica from 1224 to 1230.-Life:...
, ruler 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...
. From 1271 to 1318 it was an independent despotate that extended to Acarnania
Acarnania
Acarnania is a region of west-central Greece that lies along the Ionian Sea, west of Aetolia, with the Achelous River for a boundary, and north of the gulf of Calydon, which is the entrance to the Gulf of Corinth. Today it forms the western part of the prefecture of Aetolia-Acarnania. The capital...
and Aetolia
Aetolia
Aetolia is a mountainous region of Greece on the north coast of the Gulf of Corinth, forming the eastern part of the modern prefecture of Aetolia-Acarnania.-Geography:...
, run by a branch of the Epirote Komnenos Doukas dynasty. In 1309 the Almogavars
Almogavars
The almogavars were a class of soldiers from the Crown of Aragon, well-known during the Christian Reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula. They were much employed as mercenaries in Italy, Latin Greece and the Levant during the 13th and 14th centuries.-History:The Almogavars came mainly from the...
of the Catalan Company
Catalan Company
The Catalan Company of the East , officially the Magnas Societas Catalanorum, sometimes called the Grand Company and widely known as the Catalan Company, was a free company of mercenaries founded by Roger de Flor in the early 14th-century...
of the East (Societas Catalanorum Magna) settled there for a time. Later it was occupied by the Serbs
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
until 1393, when it fell under Ottoman
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...
rule. In 1821 Thessaly participated in the Greek War of Independence
Greek War of Independence
The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution was a successful war of independence waged by the Greek revolutionaries between...
, but did not become part of independent Greece until 1881.
Recent history (since 1881)
When Thessaly joined Greece in 1881, Mertzion, with 450 inhabitants, became part of the municipality of TrikalaTrikala
Trikala is a city in northwestern Thessaly, Greece. It is the capital of the Trikala peripheral unit, and is located NW of Athens, NW, of Karditsa, E of Ioannina and Metsovo, S of Grevena, SW of Thessaloniki, and W of Larissa...
till 1912, when it became an autonomous community as Mertsi-Mikro Community. The newly-formed community also included the settlements of Lesteno (now Dipotamos) and Roggia. In 1919 Lesteno and Roggia were extracted from the community of Mikro Mertsi and formed the community of Lesteno. In 1924 the Mikro Mertsi community was renamed into Kefalovryso Community. The modern name of the village is Kefalovryso (derived from kefali=head, main and vrysi=spring, fountain).
Myth
According to the unwritten tradition, the modern name comes from a brigand who was active in the region around MetsovoMetsovo
Metsovo is a town in Epirus on the mountains of Pindus in northern Greece, between Ioannina to the north and Meteora to the south. The largest centre of Vlach life in Greece, Metsovo is bypassed by GR-6 and also by Egnatia Odos Motorway....
. He used to throw his loot into a stream that led from Metsovo, and let the current carry them to the lake near Mertsi, where his aide gathered them, thus avoiding any checks by the Gendarmerie. One day however a villager saw his aide returning laden from the lake, and notified the gendarmes. They then seized the brigand, cut off his head and threw it into the stream, whereupon his aide found it in the lake.
Since 1999, the village has been a municipal department of the Municipality of Faloreia, also being its seat until November 2010.
After the prefectural elections of November 2010 the village has become a part of the Municipality of the town of Trikala.
Economy
The Kefalovryso residents are mainly occupied in the field of agriculture, particularly in the production of corn, wheat and cotton. Many of them are also working in the nearby city of Trikala in a variety of private enterprises or as civil servants. A few are also working in the iron and timber factories of Kefalovryso.Sports
Kefalovryso is the home of amateur football club A.O. Kefalovrysou, currently participating in the 3rd division of Trikala Amateur Football Championships. The club was founded in 1974 and its major achievement is the participation in the 1st division. In the past few years a basketball club named A.S.K. Faloreia was also founded in Kefalovryso and is currently participating in the Trikala Amateur Basketball Divisions.Notable people
Evangelos AveroffEvangelos Averoff
Evangelos Averoff-Tositsas was a distinguished right-wing Greek politician of Aromanian origin and author of several books on political and historical topics....
, Politician, born in Kefalovryso in 1910
Jorgo Papavassiliou, Film director in Germany, origin from Kefalovryso