Fiki, Trikala

Administrative Region : Thessaly
Regional unit : Trikala

Fiki (Φήκη) Trikala

Fiki is a settlement in Thessaly and the Trikala Regional Unit[1].
General

Fiki is located on the western outskirts of the Trikala plain, at an altitude of 130 meters[1] and is 14 km. SW. from Trikala and 12 km. NE. from Pyli. In the 2001 census, together with the neighboring Drosopigi (which was abolished), they formed the Municipal District of Fiki with a population of 1,351 residents[2] while according to the 2011 census, it has 1,361[3]. It was the seat of the Kapodistrian Municipality of Pialeia from 1998 to 2010. Today, Fiki belongs administratively to the Municipal Unit of Pialeia of the Municipality of Pyli.[4]

Naming and history

The name of the village, according to tradition, came from the king or ruler Fikos[citation pending], who lived on the hill of Magoula. Remains of ancient finds were discovered in 1994.[5] According to history, General Hadjipetros had set up his headquarters in Fiki during the revolution of 1821.[citation pending] The name of the village during the Ottoman occupation and until 1930 was Varibompi.[4][6]

Sights and culture/traditions

A historical monument of the location is the Church of Agios Nikolaos,[5] which according to sources was built in the 17th century as a metohi of the Monastery of Agios Bessarion Dousikos, while a legend states that it was built by Vasiliki Kontaxi, the wife of Ali Pasha, in the 19th century. It was particularly known for its famous bell tower, the sound of which could be heard as far as the capital of the Prefecture, due to its high content of gold and silver, which caused perfect sound reproduction.[7] Later, the size of the bell was reduced due to the damage it caused to the adjacent buildings of the village. The church had dozens of cells, where mentally ill people were hospitalized until the 1950s. Today, one cell is preserved, as a sample.

A festival is organized in Fiki every year on May 19. Also, on Epiphany, the custom of "Karkatzalion" is revived, when the young people of the village, disguised as goblins, visit all the houses.

Sports
The emblem of P.O. Fikis.

The Fikis Football Club[8] has been unofficially active in football since the 1950s, but its official year of foundation is considered to be 1971.[9] The team has produced several great footballers with tenure in professional leagues, such as Ioannis Klapanaras, Lakis Katsiakos, Thanasis Tsirogiannis, Giorgos Koltsidas and Vangelis Nasiakos. In 1981, the club claimed the victory of the E.P.S. Trikala Championship and its promotion to the National Amateur category, but was defeated on penalties by Digenis Neochoriou, while it was once a finalist of the E.P.S. Cup. Trikala, in 1991. In the 2019-20 period, the team won the E.P.S. Trikala Championship undefeated and gained the right to compete in the 3rd National League to this day. In 2022, it won the first E.P.S. Trikala Cup in its history, defeating Digenis Neochori 4-1. In 2023, it retained the E.P.S. Trikala Cup, defeating Dendrochori 2-0 in the final.

The village is also home to the Fikos Gymnastics Athletic Club, with acrobatic gymnastics and trampoline sections, which has achieved many distinctions with medal wins at national and international level.
References

Varibombi

Encyclopedia Papyrus Larousse Britannica. 59. Papyrus Publishing House. 1996. p. 249.
Actual population of Greece - Census 2001, p. 214 of the pdf.
Official Gazette of the results of the PERMANENT population census 2011", p. 10631 (p. 157 of the pdf)
«EETAA-Administrative Changes of Settlements». www.eetaa.gr. Retrieved on 16 April 2023.
«PERMANENT LIST OF DECLARED ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES AND MONUMENTS». listedmonuments.culture.gr. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
Spanos Vasilis, The settlements of northwestern Thessaly during the Turkish rule from the 14th to the 19th century. Introduction to the history of Thessaly from the late Byzantine era to the end of the 19th century, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH). School of Philosophy. Department of History and Archaeology, Thessaloniki 2000, p. 196.
"Saint Nicholas, the Miracle Worker in Fiki, Trikala".
Fikis | Electronic Registry of Sports Clubs with Special Athletic Recognition" . somateia2023.gga.gov.gr. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
"Karditsasport: Team History".

Municipal unit Pialeia
Community Eleftherochori
Eleftherochori (Ελευθεροχώριον, το)
Community Parapotamos
Valamandri (Βαλαμάνδριον, το)
Lili (Λιλή, η)
Parapotamos (Παραπόταμος, ο)
Community Pialeia
Pialeia (Πιάλεια, η)
Community Fiki
Fiki (Φήκη, η)
Community Filyra
Filyra (Φιλύρα, η)

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