Agios Thomas, Boeotia

Agios Thomas
Άγιος Θωμάς
Agios Thomas
Coordinates: 38°16′N 23°35′E / 38.267°N 23.583°E / 38.267; 23.583Coordinates: 38°16′N 23°35′E / 38.267°N 23.583°E / 38.267; 23.583
Country Greece
Administrative region Central Greece
Regional unit Boeotia
Municipality Tanagra
Municipal unit Oinofyta
Highest elevation 61 m (200 ft)
Lowest elevation 0 m (0 ft)
Community
 • Population 1476
 • Area (km2) 77.27
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
 • Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
Postal code 320 09
Area code(s) 22620
Vehicle registration ΒΙ
Cave with the wreath
General view of Agios Thomas village in Tanagra Viotia, Greece
Ayios Thomas chapel
Prophet Helias chapel
olive trees: the most valuable product of Agios Thomas in Tanagra
Nativity of Holy Mary church
stream of Bithsiakouli

Agios Thomas (Greek: Άγιος Θωμάς, before 1929: Λιάτανη - Liatani[1]) is a village in Boeotia, Greece. It is a community of Tanagra municipality, near Athens.

Name

Liatani was the name before 1929. Several theories exist for its etymology:

The name: Mavromati is mentioned in the book of Colonel William Martin Leake: Travels in Northern Greece, during his visit to the region in 1806. Also the prefect of Thebes, N. Karoris at his report: 'Ekthesis incident, raising the month of April during the 1830' on the conflict with the Turks to lands on 19 June 1833, records the name or Liatani or Mavromati village of Livadia . (Liatani was under the jurisdiction of the province Livadias). Source: Unpublished Documents relating to the final deliberation of the land in eastern Greece. Elias Papathanassopoulos.

History

Byzantine Era

Main article: Byzantine Greece

By the 8th century AD the Eastern Roman Empire, based at Constantinople, had reconquered the Greek countryside from the Slavs, including Boeotia, and this ushered in a period of steady growth of rural population and at the major regional towns (such as Thebes in Central Boeotia). We can match this picture from Byzantine sources with the results of our rural survey around Tanagra – a whole series of small villages or hamlets was established at regular intervals of every few kilometres, datable by characteristic Middle Byzantine ceramics found on their surface to foundations in the 10th−11th centuries AD. These continue to flourish into the next period of Crusader feudal conquest of our region (13th−14th century). The advantageous location of ancient Tanagra City explains the fact that one such village is founded only a kilometre from the ancient town, by the rural church still standing from that village of Agios Thomas. The church is Middle Byzantine of 12th century AD date, whilst the associated village which we discovered from widespread surface pottery in the fields left of the church, was occupied from the 11th−14th centuries AD (A. Vionis, Leiden). All the Byzantine villages disappear in the 14th century, and this can be related to the return of the Bubonic Plague and to the devastating wars between the Franks, the Byzantines and the Turks which left most of the southern Mainland of Greece cleared of population, which either retreated to upland villages in each region or was carried off into slavery.

Ottoman Era

Main article: Ottoman Greece

The first village tax records for Boeotia, in 1466, shortly after the Ottoman Turkish conquest of Greece, show vividly this absence of Greek settlements in the Lowlands and a small number of enlarged refuge villages in the hills of Boeotia. Eastern Boeotia with the large plains and plateaus around Tanagra is especially empty. To recolonise this landscape between 1400−1500 AD the final Frankish Dukes of Athens and then the Ottoman rulers invited large numbers of new settlers, from Albania, with the specific direction to locate new villages near abandoned ones from the previous settlement system. This is the origin of our modern villages at Tanagra (former Bratsi) and at Kleidi (Kleideti). After some 100 years of Ottoman rule, the peaceful conditions of the Pax Ottomanic saw population rise for both Greek and Albanian villages, as well as new village foundations. The Ottoman village tax record for 1570 shows this well. Modern Ayios Thomas has a more complex history; it is rather recent, and was founded by villagers moving out of the mountains between Boeotia and Attica at the end of the Turkish era and after the War of Greek Independence, in the early 19th century AD. Before Thomas though a village existed at its own site, called Kelmendi or Liatani, and further south a small linked pair of hamlets called Kinos or Ginosati, now deserted.

Liatani in Ottoman Occupation Era

As all Greek villages, Liatani fought against occupiers on the side of Captain Athanasios Skourtaniotis. He was born in 1793 at Skourta village (Dervenohoria). Dervenohoria enjoyed little autonomy and retained a small body of men combatants led by Skourtaniotis. He managed many defeats against the Ottomans of the area. His real name was Gatsis, but known as Captain Thanases. Officer Ioannis Kiokes from Liatani fought on the side of Skourtnaniotis. He honored by medal of cross and generosity from our country. He participated also, at the battle of Arachova, under chief Georgios Karaiskakis. He died in Liatani. He was granted the rank of 2nd lieutenant by Royal Decree of 20 May 1838, as a reward for the struggle of independence and his offer during the plague in Poros island. Ioannis Koubitsas is another officer of Skourtaniotis from Liatani. He was renowned for wisdom and courage. He served under the command of Gardikiotis at Jamalas Papakostas's insurgency in 1848, at Palaiokastro of Phthiotis and killed in a clash between government troops and rebels.

Ηistorical Τimeline

Source: History of Athens. Dionysios Sourmelis, 1853. 2nd edition. Michalis Economou in the files of Greek History says: Vryonis passed byAulis and Tanagra to support the Turks besieged the Acropolis. On June 17 overnights in Liatani and attacks the body of Vasilis Chatzimeletis, which had arrived in the village to ward off the invasion of Athens. The same issue mentioned Capt. John E. Nouchakes by moving the date to July 29, 1821. Source: Greek Chorographia, geography, history, population statistics and distances, 1901. 3rd edition. John Nouchakes.

Notes

References

  1. 1 2 Name changes of settlements in Greece

External links

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