Voies
Encyclopedia
Voies is a former municipality
in Laconia
, Peloponnese, Greece
. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Monemvasia
, of which it is a municipal unit. It is on the southern tip of Cape Malea
. It is a predominantly agricultural region with a few minor villages and one dominant town. Vatika is the common term for the area, but Voies is used in a more official context, particularly for postal situations. Voion, the genitive plural
of Voies, is used for description: for example, to differentiate the village of Agios Nikolaos in Voies from other villages and towns of the same name, one would use Agios Nikolaos Voion. Neapoli is the administrative capital of the municipality, and is also the urban center to the numerous villages that surround the hinterland.
. The island contains some of the oldest evidence of human inhabitance in the whole of the Peloponnese.
: Βοιαί), which is thought to have been founded in the second century BC. (The pronunciation of many Greek vowels and a few consonants has changed over time, and in Modern Greek the feminine accusative and nominative plural are identical, thus ancient Boiai but modern Voies; see Modern Greek phonology
and Modern Greek grammar: Feminine Nouns).
The ancient writer Pausanias
wrote that Voiai was founded "...by Boios, one of the Heraclidae, who is supposed to have gathered the people from three cities: Etis, Aphrodisias
and Side".
). The commercial center of the town is located on the water front, facing Vatika Bay. There are ferries to the islands Kythira
and Elafonisos. The town is surrounded by the villages of Faraklo, Paradisi
and Lachi in its hinterland, and Kambo
located on the same plain as Neapoli. Neapoli has a kindergarten school, a school, a church and a square (plateia
).
Villages:
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. ...
in Laconia
Laconia
Laconia , also known as Lacedaemonia, is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Peloponnese. It is situated in the southeastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Its administrative capital is Sparti...
, Peloponnese, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Monemvasia
Monemvasia
Monemvasia is a town and a municipality in Laconia, Greece. The town is located on a small peninsula off the east coast of the Peloponnese. The peninsula is linked to the mainland by a short causeway 200m in length. Its area consists mostly of a large plateau some 100 metres above sea level, up to...
, of which it is a municipal unit. It is on the southern tip of Cape Malea
Cape Malea
Cape Maleas is a peninsula and cape in the southeast of the Peloponnese in Greece. To distinguish it from the cape, the peninsula is sometimes referred to as "Epidavros Limira" peninsula, after the most prominent ancient city located on it. It separates the Laconian Gulf in the west from the...
. It is a predominantly agricultural region with a few minor villages and one dominant town. Vatika is the common term for the area, but Voies is used in a more official context, particularly for postal situations. Voion, the genitive plural
Genitive case
In grammar, genitive is the grammatical case that marks a noun as modifying another noun...
of Voies, is used for description: for example, to differentiate the village of Agios Nikolaos in Voies from other villages and towns of the same name, one would use Agios Nikolaos Voion. Neapoli is the administrative capital of the municipality, and is also the urban center to the numerous villages that surround the hinterland.
Geography
There is a single mountain range that runs through the center of the municipality dividing it into two parts, both an east and west section. Adjacent to the west coast of the region lies the island of ElafonissosElafonisos
Elafonisos is a small Greek island between the Peloponnese and Kythira. It lies off the coast of Cape Malea and Vatika. The area of the island is 19 km²....
. The island contains some of the oldest evidence of human inhabitance in the whole of the Peloponnese.
Historical population
| Year | Neapoli | Municipality |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 2,113 | - |
| 1991 | 2,469 | 7,802 |
| 2001 | 2,751 | 7,871 |
History
The name of the region derives from the initial name of the town of Neapoli, Boiai (Ancient GreekGreek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
: Βοιαί), which is thought to have been founded in the second century BC. (The pronunciation of many Greek vowels and a few consonants has changed over time, and in Modern Greek the feminine accusative and nominative plural are identical, thus ancient Boiai but modern Voies; see Modern Greek phonology
Modern Greek phonology
This page presents a sketch of the phonology of Standard Modern Greek.-Consonants:The consonantal system of Greek is difficult to describe, as there is considerable debate about which sounds to describe as separate phonemes and which to analyse as conditional allophones...
and Modern Greek grammar: Feminine Nouns).
The ancient writer Pausanias
Pausanias (geographer)
Pausanias was a Greek traveler and geographer of the 2nd century AD, who lived in the times of Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius. He is famous for his Description of Greece , a lengthy work that describes ancient Greece from firsthand observations, and is a crucial link between classical...
wrote that Voiai was founded "...by Boios, one of the Heraclidae, who is supposed to have gathered the people from three cities: Etis, Aphrodisias
Aphrodisias
Aphrodisias was a small city in Caria, on the southwest coast of Asia Minor. Its site is located near the modern village of Geyre, Turkey, about 230 km from İzmir....
and Side".
Neapoli
Neapoli (Greek: Νεάπολη meaning "new city") (36°30′42"N 23°03′31"E) is the largest town of the former municipality. It was initially an agricultural center, but now has seen a rise in the numbers of tourists (particularly visitors to the neighbouring island of ElafonisosElafonisos
Elafonisos is a small Greek island between the Peloponnese and Kythira. It lies off the coast of Cape Malea and Vatika. The area of the island is 19 km²....
). The commercial center of the town is located on the water front, facing Vatika Bay. There are ferries to the islands Kythira
Kythira
Cythera is an island in Greece, once part of the Ionian Islands. It lies opposite the south-eastern tip of the Peloponnese peninsula. It is administratively part of the Islands regional unit, which is part of the Attica region , Greece.For many centuries, while naval travel was the only means...
and Elafonisos. The town is surrounded by the villages of Faraklo, Paradisi
Paradisi
Paradisi may refer to:* Pietro Domenico Paradisi, an Italian composer* Paradisi, Greece, a village on the Greek island of Rhodes* Paradisi , Greece, a village in the Greek municipality of Vatika...
and Lachi in its hinterland, and Kambo
Kambo
Kambo is a village in Moss municipality, Norway. Thone Byhrø Larsen jeg elsker dig og jeg kommer op til dig den 17...
located on the same plain as Neapoli. Neapoli has a kindergarten school, a school, a church and a square (plateia
Plateia
Plateia or platia is the Greek word for town square. Most Greek and Cypriot cities have several town squares which are a point of reference in travelling and guiding...
).
Agios Nikolaos
Agios Nikolaos (Greek: Άγιος Νικολάος) (36°28′38"N 23°05′53"E) is a small village, south-east of Neapoli. It has a largely agricultural population; however, many inhabitants are employed in the shipping industries.Places of interest
- Neapoli
Villages:
- VelanidiaVelanidiaVelanidia may refer to several villages in Greece:*Velanidia, Laconia, a village in Laconia*Velanidia, Messenia, a village in Messenia*Velanidia, Kozani, a village in the Kozani Prefecture...
(Βελανίδια), a Byzantine village about 17 km from NeapolisNeapoli, ThessalonikiNeapoli is a suburb of the Thessaloniki Urban Area and was former municipality in the regional unit of Thessaloniki, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Neapoli-Sykies, of which it is a municipal unit...
,iIt includes several Byzantine churches. - Faraklo (Φάρακλο)
- Lachi (Λάχι) - Site of the Ancient city named Itis.
- Mesochori (Μεσοχώρι) - A village with Byzantine origins.
- Agios Nikolaos (Άγιος Νικόλαος) - The Agricultural center for the Municipality. The original name of the village dating back in 17th Century was "Panagia" from a homonymous temple of Virgin Mary. Most of the inhabitants trace their ancestry from the Western parts of Crete that was occupied by the Ottomans in 1669 resulting to a wide refugee influx in the Vatica area. Moreover people from the island of Kythera started populating the village from early 19th Century and onwards. Known families include "Nychas" family presumably indigenous since 17th Century, "Pavlakis" Cretan ancestry and "Michaletos" Venetian ancestry coming from Crete as well. The village has a strong diaspora concentrated in Australia and Pretoria -South Africa.
- ParadisiParadisiParadisi may refer to:* Pietro Domenico Paradisi, an Italian composer* Paradisi, Greece, a village on the Greek island of Rhodes* Paradisi , Greece, a village in the Greek municipality of Vatika...
(Παραδέισι) - Ano Kastania (Ανό Καστανία) - The location of many Byzantine Churches and Monasteries.
- Kato Kastania (Κάτο Καστανία)
- Viglafia (Βιγκλάφια)
- Elafonissos - A small island just 500 m of the coast of Vatika near Viglafia.
- Pantnassa