Pastida

Pastida (Παστίδα) is a village on the Greek island of Rhodes. It is located slightly inland from the west coast on the northern tip of Rhodes, 5 miles from Trianta and 10 miles from Rhodes Town, on the footof mountain Philerimos. In Latin, the name of the village means "castle". It is a part of the municipal unit of Petaloudes.

In 2001 the actual population of the village was 1,803 people, while now it is expected to increase significantly due to the construction boom and internal migration observed in recent years in the village.

The patron saint of the village is Agios Nikolaos. But it also has other monasteries such as: Agios Georgios, Agia Markela, Agios Fanourios, Ton Trion Hierarchon, Agios Raphael, Agia Paraskevi, Tou Sotiros. AS Asteras Pastidas is the local team of the village. Other associations are active in the village such as: AS Sotokan Karate of Rhodes, Kamari Cultural Association, Pastida Women 's Association. It is said that the foundation of the village must be placed in 1204, during the Fourth Crusade, when the Crusaders, all Catholics and Westerners, Franks and Latins, conquered Rhodes. The name of the village is Latin from the Latin word BASTIDA which means fortress. The first historical reference to the village of Pastida and its inhabitants we have in a decree of the Knights of 1479. Grand Master then was the famous Master Dobison, who, feeling the great danger from the East, issues a decree, which said the following: << << In case of enemy invasion, the villages of Trianta and Kremasti should stay in their fortresses to guard the navy. The villages of Pastida and Maritsa to reach the fortress of Rhodes… >>.

Tiled roof tombs have been excavated in the village, where it seems that the non-free inhabitants of the adjacent Ialyssia were buried. On June 5, 1854, the French traveler Victor Guern arrived in Rhodes to study the people and villages of Rhodes. About Pastida, which he visited during the short period of his stay, he states the following: << twenty-five minutes further north, there is the small village of Pastida, which consists of about twenty houses. It is in the middle of a plain and this plain is called Kamari… >>. During the years of Italian occupation, the Pastidens warmly supported the Italians as liberators from the Turks in 1912 and until their conquering face was revealed. During the Bloody Easter of 1919, the inhabitants of Pastida demonstrated and cheered in favor of the union with mother Greece. In 1922, under the Italian governor Bosdari, Pastida had 259 inhabitants, was headed by the farmer G. Smaragdis and had a primary school with 26 students, a teacher, three classes and a church of Agios Nikolaos. During the years of the Dodecanese Resistance of 1940-1945, all the inhabitants of Pastida, openly and secretly, fought for the freedom of the Dodecanese. In 1945, when the British and the Allies came to Rhodes and the Dodecanese, the villagers of Pastida, like the other surrounding villages, with the Greek flags in their hands, went down to Rhodes to greet the British and the Allies liberators. In 1961, the village had 595 inhabitants, in 1981 it had 1021, in 1991 it had 1500. In recent years the village is experiencing a huge building boom and the inhabitants have exceeded 3,000! For this reason, the village now has a new standard primary school (12 seats), while it also has cafes, restaurants, fast food, taverns, etc.

References

"Απογραφή Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2011. ΜΟΝΙΜΟΣ Πληθυσμός" (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority.

External links

Official website of Municipality of Petaloudes (in Greek)

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