Agios Alexandros, Limnos

Greece Greece

Administrative Region : North Aegean
Regional unit : Limnos

Agios Alexandros (Άγιος Αλέξανδρος) Limnos

Agios Alexandros is a settlement on the island of Limnos. Administratively, it belongs to the Municipality of Limnos in the North Aegean Region (Kallikratis program).

From 1999 to 2010, according to the then administrative division of Greece, it belonged to the municipal district of Kontopouli in the Municipality of Moudros. Previously, it belonged to the prefecture of Lesvos. Today, it is almost uninhabited but has been mentioned since Byzantine times.

Archaeological sites
The so-called Cave of Philoctetes.

Agios Alexandros is located in the Chloe area in the NE peninsula of Limnos. Its location is northeast of Kontopouli, halfway along the route to the village of Panagia. It was the most important of a series of rural settlements that existed in the past in the extensive periphery of the former community of Kontopouli, which occupies an area of 37,000 acres and is today uninhabited.

A patriarchal document of 1320 mentions the Monastery of Chloe, which was later dissolved. However, the place name survived on a nearby cape of the island, in the bay of Bournias, and on old maps it is noted by travelers who passed through Limnos, such as: De Launay (1894) as C. Khloé and Fredrich (1904) as C. Chloé.

The small cape Chloe or Kalogeros, as it is otherwise noted, is directly opposite ancient Hephaestia. Here in antiquity there was the Sanctuary of the Kabeiros, which was excavated in the 1960s. Possibly, the Christian monastery of Chloe was founded on the site of the ancient sanctuary, something common in Byzantine times.

Also, a nearby sea cave, in which prehistoric findings were found, has become established in common perception as the Cave of Philoctetes, although its location is not compatible with ancient literary testimonies.

Historical information
The church of St. Pachomius before it was renovated.

The village probably owes its name to "Saint Alexander, protector of Lemnos" according to a 15th-century manuscript codex, whose relic was kept on the island until 1308 when it was stolen by the Venetian Marco Minotto. The saint survived as the name of the settlement, although there is no chapel with that name. Even the central church of the settlement is dedicated to Saint Pachomius.

Until the mid-19th century, the area north of Kontopouli was almost uninhabited. In 1858, the German traveler Conze found the plain between Kontopouli and Cape Plaka cultivated for the most part but without any settlement. There were only isolated huts, which the locals called tsifliki, and all the lands belonged to residents of Anypati and Kontopouli.

When the lands passed to Christian owners, some settled in new settlements. One of them was Saint Alexandros, which is marked on Fredrich's map in 1904 as "Hag. Alexandros" but not on De Launay's (1894). Therefore, it was created at the end of the 19th century.

After the war, it was recorded as a separate settlement with 34 residents in 1951 and 87 in 1961. Between the years 1959-73, it also acquired a transitional primary school, that is, in the spring and autumn it operated in the settlement and was housed in the church of Hosios Pachomios, while in the winter it was moved to Kontopouli, where the residents wintered. This school also served the students of the rural settlements: Dimosia, Agios Georgios Amniou, Neftina, Saravari and Geranos. In 1961, it had 32 students.

The development of cotton cultivation in the area provided some prospects. Thus, it was decided to build a school on a four-acre plot of land donated by the heirs of Georgios Vassilikos. However, the abandonment of cotton farming and emigration rendered the issue irrelevant, as the surrounding settlements were deserted and the school closed. In 1981, only one resident was registered in Agios Alexandros.

A few years ago, the construction of a large hotel temporarily gave some prospects for development in the area. However, the venture failed and only the carcass of the hotel remained as a source of contamination. Today, some maintain warehouses or pens in the deserted village, while others have repaired their houses and live there in the summer. Those who cross the settlement on their way to Kavirio admire the beautiful church of Agios Pachomios, which dominates a low hill and the Aliki lagoon to the east.

Sights

Church of Agios Pachomios, a post-Byzantine example of local architecture.
Kavirio, archaeological site.
Philoctetes Cave, archaeological site
Aliki Lagoon, wetland.

Bibliography

Tourptsoglou-Stefanidou Vasiliki, "Travel and geographical texts for the island of Lemnos (15th-20th century)", Thessaloniki 1986.
CDrom of the Lemnos District: "Lemnos beloved".
Th. Belitsou, Lemnos and its villages, 1994.
"LEMNOS: Historical & Cultural Heritage", ed. G. Konstantellis, 2010.

Municipal unit Moudros
Municipal Community Moudros
Κουκονήσιο, το (νησίς)
Moudros (Μούδρος, ο)
Community Kalliopi
Kalliopi (Καλλιόπη, η)
Community Kaminia
Voroskopos (Βοροσκόπος, ο)
Kaminia (Καμίνια, τα)
Community Kontopouli
Agios Alexandros (Άγιος Αλέξανδρος, ο)
Agios Theodoros (Άγιος Θεόδωρος, ο)
Kontopouli (Κοντοπούλιον, το)
Community Lychna
Anemoessa (Ανεμόεσσα, η)
Lychna (Λύχνα, τα)
Community Panagia
Kortisonas (Κορτισώνας, ο)
Panagia (Παναγία, η)
Community Plaka
Plaka (Πλάκα, η)
Community Repanidi
Kotsinas (Κότσινας, ο)
Repanidi (Ρεπανίδιον, το)
Community Roussopouli
Roussopouli (Ρουσσοπούλιον, το)
Community Romano
Romano (Ρωμανόν, το)
Community Skandali
Skandali (Σκανδάλιον, το)
Community Fisini
Agia Sofia (Αγία Σοφία, η)
Fisini (Φισίνη, η)