Solos, Achaia

Greece Greece

Administrative Region : West Greece
Regional unit : Achaia

Solos (Σόλος) Achaia

Solos is a mountainous village in the former Kalavryta District of the Prefecture of Achaia.

General information

It is built at an altitude of 1,050 meters on the northern slopes of Mount Krathis, a promontory of the Aroania Mountains, and is one of the most mountainous settlements in Achaia. From 1998 to 2010, Solos was a settlement of the Municipal District of Mesorrougio of the former Municipality of Akrata. Since 2011, it has belonged administratively to the newly formed Municipality of Aigialeia. Its population according to the 2011 census is 27 inhabitants[1]. The village consists of three districts: Solo (the largest district), Zambelianika and Lykianika, which were previously recognized as a separate settlement that belonged, like Solos, to the former Community of Mesorrougio. Its residents are engaged in livestock farming and the cultivation of vegetables, as well as the famous Helmos beans, which are favored by the cool climate of the area in the summer months.

It is an ideal destination for naturalists, as there is an abundance of rare flora and fauna, as well as for those who love exploring trails in the ancient forest and sports such as climbing, mountain hiking and mountain biking.

History

The inhabitants of Solo, as well as those of neighboring villages, actively participated in the Revolution of 1821 from the first days of the uprising. The chieftain Anagnostis Giannopoulos or Patzos from the village of Peristera, Kalavryta, in his autobiography, mentions extensively the doxologies and other ceremonies during the departure of the armed men from the villages of Peristera, Mesorrougi and Solo for the siege of Tripoli, at the end of March 1821:

"The captains from the villages of Peristera, Mesorrougio and Solo gathered all the virgin daughters, each from his village, to give them cotton which they spun, cut, spun and wove and sewed in one and the same day, with which the captain of each village made a cloth for his flag. All the inhabitants of the above villages, young and old, gathered in the church and a service was held. After the end of the service, they made a prayer to the Most High, and after its end, the priests in the village of Peristera received, one the Steward the gospel in his hands, another the cross and the third, namely the priest Spyridon, also called Proestopoulos, carried the flag in his right hand, and standing in line, dressed in their priestly vestments, they chanted "Save, Lord, your people" etc. etc. etc. and "O you who were lifted up on the cross voluntarily" etc. Then Patzos was the first to make a prayer before the holy icon of K. of our Jesus Christ, the Most Holy Theotokos and the Prophet Forerunner, three kneeling in repentance, they were broken and after the kiss of the holy icons, the holy gospel was also broken, the priests standing in order, and the last, namely the priest Spyridon Proestopoulos, along with the kiss, handed the flag to Patzos, which all the armed men saluted with three shots each. After the shooting, they also did as Patzos did. (…) Leaving the holy church, Patzos handed the flag to Argyrios Mizithras, a more capable being for a standard-bearer, who accompanied them, shooting as far as Patzos' house, and thus they departed to get ready. (The same thing happened in the other two villages of Solo and Mesorrougio.) After the procession was prepared, the priests, dressed in their priestly vestments, and having the holy gospel, etc., chanted as above, leading the way, and after them followed the flag, the Patzos, the soldiers, the elders, the children and all the women of every class, where they reached from outside the village to the river and there they again made another kiss. (…) And so some returned to their homes, while others departed for the siege of Tripoli. This is how it happened in other villages.”[2]

Sights

In the mansion of the Greek Revolution leader Nikolaos Christodoulou (Soliotis), battlements and scalding pits can be seen.

The Church of St. George, built in 1806 during Ottoman rule, has a wooden carved iconostasis, the construction of which took seven whole years by a local craftsman. The icon of the Virgin Mary was desecrated by Ibrahim Pasha who carved her face with a sword.

Choosing one of the paths at the fork, a little further out of Solo towards Mesorrougi, the left one leads to the well-known “Fountain of Golfos”, the meeting point of Tasos and Golfos, the young ones i.e. which are known thanks to the idyllic short story of the Mesorrougiou writer Spyros Peresiadis. The right path leads to the historical site of "Kastraki" where a bloody battle took place between Greeks and Turks with approximately 2,500 victims on the opposing side, according to local testimonies.

From there there is an uphill climb to the famous from Greek mythology Waters of Styx, one of the three gates of Hades in Greece. There wandered the shadows of the dead who did not enjoy the appropriate funeral honors: they were the souls of slanderers, traitors and those who had committed unholy acts. The water comes out from a height of 200 meters, which makes its surface black, which is why it is also known as "Mavroneri". The ancients considered these waters deadly for humans and animals.

According to Pausanias, this water breaks glass, stone and clay objects, disintegrates bone and metal objects and leaves only gold intact. The area has steep cliffs and high altitude.

Other nearby locations are Mesorrougi, Peristera, Zarouchla and the Kalavryta Ski Resort, which is approximately 28 km from Solo.

Personalities

Nikolaos Christodoulou or Soliotis
Konstantinos Zografos