Strongyli, Arta

Strongyli (Στρογγυλή) Arta

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Strongyli is a village in the Municipality of Arta with 136 permanent residents (2021 census), next to the Rodia Lagoon, in the Amvrakikos Gulf and approximately 23 kilometers from the city of Arta.[1]

According to the Kapodistrias Plan, Strongyli was until the end of 2010, a municipal district of the newly established Municipality of Amvrakikos with its seat in Aneza. Based on the new administrative division provided for by the Kallikratis Plan, Strongyli was incorporated into the Municipality of Arta.[2]

History

Near the current village, on the Mavrovouni ridge, earlier ruins of Roman baths and part of a mosaic floor, attributed to a Roman villa, had been identified. Its construction may have been related to the exploitation of fish farms in the nearby lagoons of Podia and Tsoukali.[3]

Panagiotis Aravantinos in his work "Chronography of Epirus" informs us that, based on the 1845 census list, Strongyli was a privately owned village, belonging to the Ioannina department and inhabited by 11 Christian families, while the report of the Russian Vice Consulate of Arta, in 1877, informs us that the village was the property of the Monastery of Rodia and inhabited by 6 families.[4][5] Ifikratis Kokkidis also makes reference to the village in his work "Travelogues of Epirus and Thessaly" published by the Greek Ministry of Military Affairs (Athens 1880) and gives us the information that approximately 110 people lived in the village. I. Kokkidis informs us that the province of Arta was divided into 2 regions: the region of Arta and the region of Preveza. The region of Arta was in turn divided into 7 sections: the Potamia section, the Vryseos section, the Radovizi section, the Tzoumerka section, the Kampos section, the Karvasaras section and the Lakka section. Strongyli was part of the Kampos section.[6]

Another important piece of information we have comes from the “Historical Essay on Arti & Preveza” (published 1884), by Serafim Xenopoulos, Metropolitan of Arta. According to this source, the village was inhabited by about 15 families. The villagers attended church in the church of Agia Aikaterini, which had been built in 1825 and was funded by a resident of Petra, Nikolaos Mavrommatis. Serafim Xenopoulos refers to the ruins of the Roman baths and the Roman oil mill, as well as the small stone bridge.[7]

An equally valuable source is the Ottoman census of 1895.[8] According to the relevant Ottoman law, the primary division of the empire was the vilayet. Each vilayet was divided into sanjaks and these in kazades. According to this census, the village belonged to the Kaza of Louros, who was in the sanjak of Preveza, which in turn belonged to the vilayet of Ioannina. Based on these data, 14 families (khanedes) lived in Strongyli with a total population of 52 people (27 men, 25 women).

In 1910, the Metropolis of Nikopolis and Preveza published the data of the census that it carried out in the same year in the entire ecclesiastical region and informed us that Strongyli belonged to the Louros section and 69 people lived in the village.[9]

Administrative changes

In 1919, with the Government Gazette 181A - 14/08/1919, the community of Strongyli was established. On 18/12/1925, the community of Strongyli was abolished and annexed to the community of Agios Spyridonas, while on 15 January 1966 it was re-established. In 1997, based on the Government Gazette 244A-4/12/1997, the community was abolished and incorporated into the Municipality of Amvrakikos. The new administrative division provided for by the Kallikratis Plan, which was published in the Government Gazette 87/issue A'/2010, resulted in Strongyli being incorporated into the Municipality of Artaia.[10]

Location and Access

Strongyli is adjacent to Petra Prevezis, Stefani Prevezis and Agios Spyridonas.[11]

Demographics

Today the population amounts to 247 permanent residents (2011 census),[1] showing a decrease compared to the 2001 census, where the population amounted to 235 residents. The population of the village, after years of continuous maintenance of over 200 residents, decreased in the 2011 census, where 192 residents were recorded.[12] Population fluctuations are reflected in the table below.[13]
Sights

The archaeological site of Strongyli: Located on Podarouli hill and the surrounding plain, it is characterized by numerous Roman-era finds such as Roman baths and a Roman olive press.[14]
The Church of Agios Vlasios: A cave-like temple located on a slope, to the east of the settlement.[15]
The Rodia Lagoon: The Rodia Wetlands Center in Strongyli organizes bird-watching boat trips in the lagoons and runs the information center.[16]
The Stone Bridge: A single-arch stone bridge at the location of Arapospita, 9.20 m long, 1.60 m wide and 1.65 m high.[17]

References

"Greek Census 2011". Archived from the original on 16 October 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
"Administrative division of the Municipality of Artaia according to the Kallikrates Plan". Archived from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
D. K. Samsaris, Aktia Nikopolis and its "country" (Southern Epirus-Acarnania). Historical-geographical and epigraphic contribution, Thessaloniki 1994, p. 115
Archives of the Russian Vice-Consulate of Arta - Preveza, periods 1858 - 1881[dead link]
Chronography of Epirus: of the neighboring Greek and Illyrian countries, running through the events in order from the year of salvation to 1854. / Compiled by Panagiotou Aravantinos, p.320, published 1856.
Travelogues of Epirus and Thessaly / by the Military Staff Office under the Ministry, I. Kokidis, Athens 1880.
Historical Essay on Arta and Preveza (published 1884).
The Turkish statistics of Epirus in the 1895 Salname, M. Kokolakis
The late Giannio Pasaliki: space, administration and population in Turkish-occupied Epirus (1820-1913), Michalis Kokolakis, p.491 [1]
Dictionary of administrative changes of Municipalities and Communities.[dead link]
Driving distances in kilometers between cities, villages, countries
Population census of March 18, 2001, Hellenic Statistical Authority (EL.STAT.) [2] Archived 2015-06-28 at the Wayback Machine.
"Archive of the National Statistical Service of Greece - E.S.Y.E". Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
Approval of the final delimitation of the archaeological site of Strongyli, Municipal Unit of Amvrakikos, Municipality of Arta, Regional Unit of Arta. [3] Archived 2016-03-05 at the Wayback Machine.
Church of St. Vlasios, Strongyli [4] Archived 2022-01-27 at the Wayback Machine.
Observatory of St. Catherine in Strongyli. [5] Archived 2015-04-26 at the Wayback Machine.

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