Spetses
Encyclopedia
Spetses is an island and a municipality in the Islands regional unit, Attica, Greece
. It is sometimes included as one of the Saronic Islands
. Until 1948, it was part of the old prefecture of Argolidocorinthia, which is now split into Argolis
and Corinthia
. In ancient times, it was known as Pityoussa, and later as Petses. The town of Spetses (pop. 3,846 in 2001) is the only large settlement on the island. The island is presently an independent municipality
(pop. 3,916), with no internal boundaries within the municipality. The other settlements on the island are Moní Agíon Pánton (pop. 32), Ligonéri (16), Ágioi Anárgyroi (11), Kouzoúnos (3). Also part of the Municipality of Spetses are the islands of Spetsopoula
(pop. 11) and Velopoula (uninhabited).
Ferries and high-speed hydrofoils arrive regularly from Piraeus
. The new port is known as Dapia and the old port as Baltizar. Trails encircle the island and total about 25 to 30 km; beaches include Agios Mamas, in the center of town, Agioi Anargiroi and Agia Paraskevi at the back of the island, Zogeria, and two beaches close to the town, College beach and Agia Marina, both of which offer watersports.
, was first occupied during the Mesolithic Age, about in 8000 BC. During that period the island
was connected to through an isthmus to the island of Argolida , currently named Costa. Pieces of flint from that time were found near the part of the island called Zogeria that contained a water source probably available since those times. Other archaeological finds were located in the area of Saint Marina, which contained the first Hellenistic settlement to be found on the island and dates to the 3rd millennium BC. At least three natural harbors of Spetses (Saint Marina, Saint Paraskevi and Zogeria) served as a refuge for ships carrying goods to and from the Argolis Gulf during the peak of the State of Lerna (about 2300 BC).
After the collapse of the State of Lerna, Spetses experienced a period of decline. Findings in the areas of Saint Marina and Saint Anargyroi show the existing settlements belonging the late Mycenaean period (12th to 13th century BC). At the time of the Peloponnesian War stone observatories were built at the sites of Prophet Elias and Zogeria.
Mentions of the island of Spetses were made by both Strabo in the 1st century BC and by Pausanias in the 2nd century AD referring to the island as Pitiousa. The raid by the Goths in the Eastern Roman empire caused a wave of refugees to flee to Spetses, resulting in the re-settlement of the island, focusing on the Old Port, making it one of the three largest cities of Argolis (including Argos and Hermione).
In the 15th Century, the Venetians named the island Spezia ("Spice") for its position on a major traderoute; over time the name was Hellenised to "Spetsai".
During the 18th century, during the conquest of the Peloponnese from the Turks and the Venetian expulsion, many Christian Albanians took refuge in Spetses in order to escape the Turkish persecution. These refugees created the old village of Spetses, in the area of Kastelli, which is fortified by a wall that reinforces the natural protection provided by the terrain. Over the years the island developed a significant naval power. The Greek Coalition in cooperation with the Russians in the Russian-Turkish war in 1768–1774 turned the powerful merchant fleet of Spetses to a significant power against the Turks
during the so-called Orlofika. In response to these events the Turks destroyed the only village on the island in 1770. For some years after the destruction of the island it remained deserted, but was re-occupied in 1774 by new settlers from the opposite coast of Peloponnese after the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca that allowed the Russian free movement of ships in the Mediterranean and the recreation of the powerful commercial fleet by using the Russian flag to establish trade routes with neighboring countries. Merchant seafaring was the only source of livelihood for many rocky, non-arable Greek islands, and the brisk Mediterranean and Black Sea trade of the 18th and 19th centuries allowed them to prosper - especially and spectacularly so during the trade embargoes
of the Napoleonic Wars
, which found Greek merchantmen and crews willing and able work with, or against, both belligerent sides at tremendous profit.
After the re-occupation of Spetses the settlement began to expand beyond the Kastelli region and caused further growth in the maritime economic activities on the island. When in 1821 the Greek revolution broke out, Spetses was the first of the Greek islands that raised the flag of Revolution the morning of 3 April 1821. The fleet of Spetses, consisting of merchant ships belonging to the island had become a formidable tool for war and played a key role in the struggle, both by participating in raids against the Turkish coast and the exclusion of fortresses in the Peloponnese. Particularly important is the involvement of the Spetsiote fleet in sieges of the fortresses of Nafplion and Monemvasia and naval battles of Samos (1824) and Kafireas (1825). Along with their counterparts in nearby Hydra Island, Spetsiote captains were so wealthy they had been hoarding their gold in wells, a wealth that they tapped to fund the war of liberation.
From 1821 to 1832, the island played an important role in the Greek War of Independence
in fighting against the Turks
, and was the home of celebrated war heroine Bouboulina
. The modern Hydra class frigate
F 453 Spetsai , the World War 2 era destroyer Greek destroyer Spetsai (D 98)
and the historic Greek battleship Spetsai
have been named after this island.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the island attracted a number wealthy Greek vacationers from Athens
and elsewhere, owning villas or living on large yachts in the port. Some had children who became students of the Anargirios School. Although some hotels were present, tourists often stayed in purpose-built holiday homes. From the 1980s, these were often supplanted by north European tourists, especially from Britain
, who were attracted by the low cost of a holiday.
Since package tours were actively discouraged by the island in the early 1990s, the island's holiday clientele remains more upmarket and largely Greek.
, which was at the time besieged by land forces under Alexander Ypsilanti and sea forces under Laskarina Bouboulina
. Sailing between Trikeri and Spetsopoula, the Turkish force confronted the combined fleets of three heroic islands, Spetses, Hydra and Psara
. The admiral of the Greek fleet
, Andreas Miaoulis, gave orders to withdraw to the Gulf of Argolid, in order to outmanoeuvre the more numerous and better equipped Turkish fleet. This would, however, leave the island of Spetses defenseless at the mercy of the Turks; then the Spetsiotes Tsourpas J. Masters, D. Lambrou (or Leonidas) and I. Koutsis, and the Hydraean A. Kriezis, ignored the signal and attacked, thus forcing Miaoulis to join with them. The brunt of the battle took place off Hydra, during which the warriors saw smoke rising from Spetses and assumed it was being torched. During this turmoil and mayhem Spetses town was being severely bombarded. Then the heroic Cosma Barbatsi (1792–1887), in an act of desperate defiance, rowed his tiny, gunpowder-rigged fire ship
amidst a hail of enemy fire right through the Turkish ships to the very middle of their formation, and set the Turkish flagship ablaze. Rocked by explosions the ship burned, and when its gunpowder stores caught fire, it exploded and sank in front of the port. The actions of Barbatsi were decisive for the outcome of the battle, and the Turkish fleet retreated in disarray. The besieged castles of Nafplion
were thus not relieved, and fell to the Greeks two and a half months later.
1965 major novel The Magus
. Many fictional locations described there actually existed, including the "Lord Byron School" (the private Anargyrios & Korgialenios School of Spetses www.akss.net) and the "Villa Bourani" (located on the south side of the island above a popular public beach).
Both School and Villa still exist, although the house is under private ownership.
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. It is sometimes included as one of the Saronic Islands
Saronic Islands
The Saronic Islands or Argo-Saronic Islands is an archipelago in Greece, named after the Saronic Gulf in which they are located, just off the Greek mainland. The main inhabited islands of this group are Salamis , Aegina, Angistri, and Poros...
. Until 1948, it was part of the old prefecture of Argolidocorinthia, which is now split into Argolis
Argolis
Argolis is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Peloponnese. It is situated in the eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula.-Geography:...
and Corinthia
Corinthia
Corinthia is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Peloponnese. It is situated around the city of Corinth, in the north-eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula.-Geography:...
. In ancient times, it was known as Pityoussa, and later as Petses. The town of Spetses (pop. 3,846 in 2001) is the only large settlement on the island. The island is presently an independent municipality
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. ...
(pop. 3,916), with no internal boundaries within the municipality. The other settlements on the island are Moní Agíon Pánton (pop. 32), Ligonéri (16), Ágioi Anárgyroi (11), Kouzoúnos (3). Also part of the Municipality of Spetses are the islands of Spetsopoula
Spetsopoula
Spetsopoula is a private island situated to the southeast of Spetses, which is one of the Saronic Islands, in the region of Attica and the Aegean Sea. It was purchased by the Greek tycoon Stavros Niarchos, a native of Attica...
(pop. 11) and Velopoula (uninhabited).
Ferries and high-speed hydrofoils arrive regularly from Piraeus
Piraeus
Piraeus is a city in the region of Attica, Greece. Piraeus is located within the Athens Urban Area, 12 km southwest from its city center , and lies along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf....
. The new port is known as Dapia and the old port as Baltizar. Trails encircle the island and total about 25 to 30 km; beaches include Agios Mamas, in the center of town, Agioi Anargiroi and Agia Paraskevi at the back of the island, Zogeria, and two beaches close to the town, College beach and Agia Marina, both of which offer watersports.
History
The island of Spetses, located in the Mediterranean SeaMediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
, was first occupied during the Mesolithic Age, about in 8000 BC. During that period the island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
was connected to through an isthmus to the island of Argolida , currently named Costa. Pieces of flint from that time were found near the part of the island called Zogeria that contained a water source probably available since those times. Other archaeological finds were located in the area of Saint Marina, which contained the first Hellenistic settlement to be found on the island and dates to the 3rd millennium BC. At least three natural harbors of Spetses (Saint Marina, Saint Paraskevi and Zogeria) served as a refuge for ships carrying goods to and from the Argolis Gulf during the peak of the State of Lerna (about 2300 BC).
After the collapse of the State of Lerna, Spetses experienced a period of decline. Findings in the areas of Saint Marina and Saint Anargyroi show the existing settlements belonging the late Mycenaean period (12th to 13th century BC). At the time of the Peloponnesian War stone observatories were built at the sites of Prophet Elias and Zogeria.
Mentions of the island of Spetses were made by both Strabo in the 1st century BC and by Pausanias in the 2nd century AD referring to the island as Pitiousa. The raid by the Goths in the Eastern Roman empire caused a wave of refugees to flee to Spetses, resulting in the re-settlement of the island, focusing on the Old Port, making it one of the three largest cities of Argolis (including Argos and Hermione).
In the 15th Century, the Venetians named the island Spezia ("Spice") for its position on a major traderoute; over time the name was Hellenised to "Spetsai".
During the 18th century, during the conquest of the Peloponnese from the Turks and the Venetian expulsion, many Christian Albanians took refuge in Spetses in order to escape the Turkish persecution. These refugees created the old village of Spetses, in the area of Kastelli, which is fortified by a wall that reinforces the natural protection provided by the terrain. Over the years the island developed a significant naval power. The Greek Coalition in cooperation with the Russians in the Russian-Turkish war in 1768–1774 turned the powerful merchant fleet of Spetses to a significant power against the Turks
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...
during the so-called Orlofika. In response to these events the Turks destroyed the only village on the island in 1770. For some years after the destruction of the island it remained deserted, but was re-occupied in 1774 by new settlers from the opposite coast of Peloponnese after the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca that allowed the Russian free movement of ships in the Mediterranean and the recreation of the powerful commercial fleet by using the Russian flag to establish trade routes with neighboring countries. Merchant seafaring was the only source of livelihood for many rocky, non-arable Greek islands, and the brisk Mediterranean and Black Sea trade of the 18th and 19th centuries allowed them to prosper - especially and spectacularly so during the trade embargoes
Continental System
The Continental System or Continental Blockade was the foreign policy of Napoleon I of France in his struggle against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland during the Napoleonic Wars. It was a large-scale embargo against British trade, which began on November 21, 1806...
of the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, which found Greek merchantmen and crews willing and able work with, or against, both belligerent sides at tremendous profit.
After the re-occupation of Spetses the settlement began to expand beyond the Kastelli region and caused further growth in the maritime economic activities on the island. When in 1821 the Greek revolution broke out, Spetses was the first of the Greek islands that raised the flag of Revolution the morning of 3 April 1821. The fleet of Spetses, consisting of merchant ships belonging to the island had become a formidable tool for war and played a key role in the struggle, both by participating in raids against the Turkish coast and the exclusion of fortresses in the Peloponnese. Particularly important is the involvement of the Spetsiote fleet in sieges of the fortresses of Nafplion and Monemvasia and naval battles of Samos (1824) and Kafireas (1825). Along with their counterparts in nearby Hydra Island, Spetsiote captains were so wealthy they had been hoarding their gold in wells, a wealth that they tapped to fund the war of liberation.
From 1821 to 1832, the island played an important role 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...
in fighting against the Turks
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...
, and was the home of celebrated war heroine Bouboulina
Laskarina Bouboulina
Laskarina Bouboulina , 11 May 1771 - 22 May 1825) was a Greek naval commander, heroine of the Greek War of Independence in 1821, and posthumously, an Admiral of the Imperial Russian Navy.-Early life:...
. The modern Hydra class frigate
Hydra class frigate
The Hydra class are a group of four frigates in service with the Hellenic Navy. They were designed in Germany and are part of the MEKO group of modular warships, in this case the MEKO 200 design. The programme was authorised in 1988 and partially paid for with FMS aid and previsioned for the...
F 453 Spetsai , the World War 2 era destroyer Greek destroyer Spetsai (D 98)
Greek destroyer Spetsai (D 98)
Spetsai was a Greek destroyer of the Dardo class, which served with the Hellenic Navy during the Second World War. It was named after the Saronic Gulf island of Spetses, which played an important role in the Greek War of Independence, and was the fourth ship to bear this name.She was constructed...
and the historic Greek battleship Spetsai
Greek battleship Spetsai
The Spetsai was a Greek steel battleship serving in the Royal Hellenic Navy from 1890 until 1920. She was named after the Saronic Gulf island of Spetses, which played a key role in the war at sea during the Greek War of Independence.The ship, along with her two sister ships of the Hydra Class, was...
have been named after this island.
Tourism
Tourism grew in Spetses in the 19th Century as a result of the close proximity of a British Navy training ground. Officers would come to Spetses on leave and the large, neoclassical Hotel Poseidonion (still the biggest hotel on Spetses) was built to accommodate them.In the 1960s and 1970s, the island attracted a number wealthy Greek vacationers from Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
and elsewhere, owning villas or living on large yachts in the port. Some had children who became students of the Anargirios School. Although some hotels were present, tourists often stayed in purpose-built holiday homes. From the 1980s, these were often supplanted by north European tourists, especially from Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, who were attracted by the low cost of a holiday.
Since package tours were actively discouraged by the island in the early 1990s, the island's holiday clientele remains more upmarket and largely Greek.
History of Spetsiote Armáta
On 8 September 1822 the Turkish fleet, coming from Monemvasia, began supplying Palamidi in NafplionNafplion
Nafplio is a seaport town in the Peloponnese in Greece that has expanded up the hillsides near the north end of the Argolic Gulf. The town was the first capital of modern Greece, from the start of the Greek Revolution in 1821 until 1834. Nafplio is now the capital of the peripheral unit of...
, which was at the time besieged by land forces under Alexander Ypsilanti and sea forces under Laskarina Bouboulina
Laskarina Bouboulina
Laskarina Bouboulina , 11 May 1771 - 22 May 1825) was a Greek naval commander, heroine of the Greek War of Independence in 1821, and posthumously, an Admiral of the Imperial Russian Navy.-Early life:...
. Sailing between Trikeri and Spetsopoula, the Turkish force confronted the combined fleets of three heroic islands, Spetses, Hydra and Psara
Psara
Psara is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea. Together with the small uninhabited island of Antipsara it forms the municipality of Psara. It is part of the Chios peripheral unit, which is part of the North Aegean Periphery. The only town of the island and seat of the municipality is also called...
. The admiral of the Greek fleet
Naval fleet
A fleet, or naval fleet, is a large formation of warships, and the largest formation in any navy. A fleet at sea is the direct equivalent of an army on land....
, Andreas Miaoulis, gave orders to withdraw to the Gulf of Argolid, in order to outmanoeuvre the more numerous and better equipped Turkish fleet. This would, however, leave the island of Spetses defenseless at the mercy of the Turks; then the Spetsiotes Tsourpas J. Masters, D. Lambrou (or Leonidas) and I. Koutsis, and the Hydraean A. Kriezis, ignored the signal and attacked, thus forcing Miaoulis to join with them. The brunt of the battle took place off Hydra, during which the warriors saw smoke rising from Spetses and assumed it was being torched. During this turmoil and mayhem Spetses town was being severely bombarded. Then the heroic Cosma Barbatsi (1792–1887), in an act of desperate defiance, rowed his tiny, gunpowder-rigged fire ship
Fire ship
A fire ship, used in the days of wooden rowed or sailing ships, was a ship filled with combustibles, deliberately set on fire and steered into an enemy fleet, in order to destroy ships, or to create panic and make the enemy break formation. Ships used as fire ships were usually old and worn out or...
amidst a hail of enemy fire right through the Turkish ships to the very middle of their formation, and set the Turkish flagship ablaze. Rocked by explosions the ship burned, and when its gunpowder stores caught fire, it exploded and sank in front of the port. The actions of Barbatsi were decisive for the outcome of the battle, and the Turkish fleet retreated in disarray. The besieged castles of Nafplion
Nafplion
Nafplio is a seaport town in the Peloponnese in Greece that has expanded up the hillsides near the north end of the Argolic Gulf. The town was the first capital of modern Greece, from the start of the Greek Revolution in 1821 until 1834. Nafplio is now the capital of the peripheral unit of...
were thus not relieved, and fell to the Greeks two and a half months later.
Armáta
Each year, the second weekend of September is dedicated to celebratory events aimed to commemorate the events of that battle of Sept. 8, 1822, in combination with the feast of the chapel of Panagiá Armáta (the Madonna-in-arms), near the lighthouse. The events culminate with the reenactment of the torching of the Turkish flagship in the harbor. Spetses is one of nine European cities that participates in the European Network of Historical Reconstructions (Brussels, Belgium; Dublin and Cork, Ireland; Bailen, Spain; Slavkov, Czech Republic; Tewksbury, UK; and Hydra and Spetses in Greece).In wider culture
Spetses was the basis for the island Phraxos in John FowlesJohn Fowles
John Robert Fowles was an English novelist and essayist. In 2008, The Times newspaper named Fowles among their list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945".-Birth and family:...
1965 major novel The Magus
The Magus (novel)
The Magus is the first novel written by British author John Fowles. It tells the story of Nicholas Urfe, a teacher on a small Greek island...
. Many fictional locations described there actually existed, including the "Lord Byron School" (the private Anargyrios & Korgialenios School of Spetses www.akss.net) and the "Villa Bourani" (located on the south side of the island above a popular public beach).
Both School and Villa still exist, although the house is under private ownership.
Demographic evolution
| Year | Population | Municipal/Island population |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 3,729 | – |
| 1991 | 3,509 | 3,603 |
| 2001 | 3,846 | 3,916 |
See also
- Communities of Attica, including Spetses
- FishtalesFishtalesFishtales is a 2007 family comedy film directed by Alki David, and starring Billy Zane and Kelly Brook about a widowed father who falls in love with a mermaid. The film was released theatrically in the UK on August 24, 2007....
– The island appears in the children's film. - Free-divingFree-divingFreediving is any of various aquatic activities that share the practice of breath-hold underwater diving. Examples include breathhold spear fishing, freedive photography, apnea competitions and, to a degree, snorkeling...
– World record free-diving attempts frequently take place around the island.