Dafnonas, Chios

Greece Greece

Administrative Region : North Aegean
Regional unit : Chios

Dafnonas (official name: Dafnon) is a village in central Chios, 9.5 kilometers by road from the town of Chios. It was formerly the seat of a homonymous community, while today it falls under the Municipal Unit of Kampochori of the Municipality of Chios. It belongs to the Regional Unit of Chios of the North Aegean Region.

History

The average altitude of the village is 218 meters above sea level. Dafnonas is built amphitheatrically in a semi-mountainous area, on the eastern slope of the central spine of the island (Tsoumbari hill, of the Kakia Skala/Rachi - Prophet Elias mountain range), with a view of Korakaris hill, Kampos and the eastern coast of the island. The nearest settlement is the village of Ververato, about two kilometers to the south and lower. A few kilometers, in a straight line to the northwest, is Nea Moni, the most important historical monastery of the island, with its remarkable mosaics, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[2]

Tradition states that the village was originally built in a different place and moved to its current location around 1000. There are a multitude of medieval ruins around, such as the Tower of Lavrina, as well as the remains of a castle in the center of the village, which are apparently the ruins of the fortified medieval settlement of Dafnon. These structures show the mark that the Genoese left on the island during their rule in the 14th to 16th centuries.[3]
The custom of burning the (effigy) of Judas, shortly before the Resurrection of the Lord by the young people of Daphnon.

The area has several springs with a lot of water in the past, such as Chomatosterna, the spring of Vestarhatos (from which in fact the city of Chios was partially watered in the past, the so-called "water of Syggros"), the spring of Damalas, the spring of Kanavoutsatos, etc. The two main districts of the village are Potamos (from the stream that flows through the village) and Kritharakia.

The parish church of Dafnonas, with its beautiful stone bell tower from 1900, is honored in the name of Saint Panteleimon. Every year on the eve of the celebration of the Saint, on July 26, the famous village festival is organized. There is also the renovated ancient parish church of Agios Georgios. The village is ecclesiastically under the archiepiscopal supervision of Chalkeion of the Holy Metropolis of Chios, Psaros and Oinousses.[4]

The postal code of Dafnonas is 821 00.

Population

The evolution of the population of Daphnon in the official censuses is shown in the table:

Census year Residents
1951 671
1961 605
1971 447
1981 359
1991 409
2001 408
2021 366
References

(Greek) Database of the Hellenic Statistical Authority.
«Monasteries of Daphni, Osios Loukas and Nea Moni of Chios». UNESCO World Heritage Centre (in English). UNESCO. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
"Daphnon Castle". kastra.eu. Retrieved 22 April 2025.

"Daphnon". chios.in. Retrieved 22 April 2025.

Sources

Georgiou I. Zolotas: History of Chios, volume A ("Historical Topography and Genealogy"). Presses P.D. Sakellariou, Athens 1921

Municipal unit Kampochoria
Community Agios Georgios Sykousis
Agios Georgios Sykousis (Άγιος Γεώργιος Συκούσης, ο)
Community Vaviloi
Vaviloi (Βαβίλοι, οι)
Community Vasileonoiko
Vasileonoiko (Βασιλεώνοικον, το)
Community Ververato
Ververato (Βερβεράτον, το)
Community Dafnonas
Dafnonas (Δαφνών, ο)
Community Zyfias
Zyfias (Ζυφιάς, ο)
Community Chalkeio
Chalkeio (Χαλκειόν, το)