Asprovalta

History

Near the modern town lie the ruins of a Roman station of the Via Egnatia known as Pennana. A manuscript of the Simonopetra monastery on Mount Athos records that Asprovalta was founded in the 16th century under the name Aspra Valta.

Following the Asia Minor Disaster, 54 families from Erenköy in the Troad (near ancient Ophryneion) were resettled in Asprovalta. During World War I, Erenköy had hosted a Turkish artillery unit and was bombarded by Allied naval forces. After the Armistice of Mudros (30 October 1918), many inhabitants of Erenköy were dispersed to settlements across Greece, including Athens, Lamia, Kymi, Kalamata, Tripoli, Argos, Halkida, and Crete. Most, however, eventually established themselves in Asprovalta, Kato Lakkovikia (later renamed "Ofrenio" in memory of the ancient village), and the Nicaea quarter of Piraeus.

In September 1923, 54 refugee families from Erenköy, having fled via the island of Imvros, arrived in Stavros aboard the ship Elpidoforos.

Refugee testimonies

Accounts recorded from refugees describe the circumstances of their displacement and resettlement. One survivor, Konstantinos Epitropou, recalled that in 1915 residents were ordered to evacuate to Karantina, from where Greek ships such as the Granikos and Varvára transported groups to mainland ports. Some families were taken to Almyros, while others, including his own, were landed at Piraeus, with part of the group continuing to Kalamata. They remained there for about five years before resettlement in Macedonia.

Another refugee, Eleni Dialogi-Petraki, recounted that the persecution came without warning, shortly after the grape harvest. Families were told to leave town the following morning, and some, like her father, initially assumed the departure would be temporary. Refugees first gathered at Karantina, then moved to Krithia, where makeshift shacks were constructed. Later they chartered boats to Imbros, but finding the island under Turkish control, they relocated once more to Asprovalta. Initial housing there consisted of shacks and tents until more permanent dwellings could be built.

Climate

Asprovalta enjoys a sunny and warm Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csa). Winter highs are around 12 °C while summer highs are around 32 °C.

| Jan record high C = 21.7 | Feb record high C = 20.3 | Mar record high C = 24.3 | Apr record high C = 29.7 | May record high C = 32.9 | Jun record high C = 36.3 | Jul record high C = 40.0 | Aug record high C = 41.8 | Sep record high C = 38.4 | Oct record high C = 30.9 | Nov record high C = 26.4 | Dec record high C = 20.2

| Jan record low C = -8.0 | Feb record low C = -4.1 | Mar record low C = -3.2 | Apr record low C = 1.2 | May record low C = 9.2 | Jun record low C = 10.9 | Jul record low C = 15.4 | Aug record low C = 17.2 | Sep record low C = 8.8 | Oct record low C = 5.4 | Nov record low C = 0.3 | Dec record low C = -4.3

Asprovalta N.O.A station

Historical population

Landmarks

The first Church of Saint George was constructed between 1927 and 1928 by refugees from Erenköy. Prior to its construction, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated in a temporary shack, and religious artefacts were stored in private homes. This original church was demolished in 1978 during a period of tourism development, and a larger cement structure was erected in its place. The new church preserves several heirlooms brought by the Asia Minor refugees, including two icons of St. George and the Virgin Mary dating to the 16th–17th centuries, an icon of St. Nicholas, two gold-embroidered icons, and the former parish school library.

A second church dedicated to St. George, dating from the mid-16th century, is located in the Kerdylia Mountains. It follows the monastic architectural style of Ottoman-era Macedonia, which preserved features of Byzantine ecclesiastical design. The church is of the Athonite cruciform-inscribed type, characterized by side niches for the psalters and a spacious narthex (litti). The central area is roofed with a large, well-executed cross vault.

References

References

1. [http://olympias.lib.uoi.gr/jspui/bitstream/123456789/6139/1/2.%20Pennana-%20%CE%AD%CE%BD%CE%B1%CF%82%20%CF%81%CF%89%CE%BC%CE%B1%CF%8A%CE%BA%CF%8C%CF%82%20%CF%83%CF%84%CE%B1%CE%B8%CE%BC%CF%8C%CF%82.pdf] {{Webarchive. link. (2017-10-02 D. C. Samsaris, ''Pennana, A Roman station (mutatio) of the Via Egnatia'' (in Greek), ''Dodona'' 15 (1986), 1, pp. 69–84.)
2. "Ιστορία". Δημοτικό Σχολείο Ασπροβάλτας.
3. Morgenthau, Henry. (1989). "Τα μυστικά του Βοσπόρου / Secrets of the Bosphorus".
4. Document from the Code of the Erenkiotes, preserved in the Union of Erenkiotes ''Agios Georgios'' at [[Nicaea]] and in the community of Asprovalta.
5. Testimony of Konstantinos Epitropou.
6. Testimony of Eleni Dialogi-Petraki.
7. "N.O.A Monthly Bulletins".
8. "Latest Conditions in Asprovalta".