Vatika / Voies

Vatika (Greek: Βάτικα), or also Voies (Greek: Βοιές), is a rural municipality (Greek: Δήμος) of Greece found in the prefecture of Laconia on the southerly tip of Cape Malea. It is a predominantly agricultural region with a few minor villages and one dominant town.

Vatika is the common term for the area, but Vion is used in a more official context, particularly for postal situations.

Neapoli is the administrative capital of the municipality, and is also the urban center to the numerous villages that surround the hinterland.

Historical population

Geography

There is a single mountain range that runs through the center of the municipality dividing it into two parts, both an east and west section.

Adjacent to the west coast of the region lies the island of Elafonisos which is administratively, politically and geographically part of the Vatika. The island contains some of the oldest evidence of human inhabitance in the whole of the Peloponnese.

History

The name of the region derives from the initial name of the town of Neapoli, Voiai (Greek: Βοιαι pronounced "Vi - e"), which is thought to have been founded in the second century BC. The ancient writer, Pausanias wrote that Voiai was founded "by Voios, one of the children of Heracles, who is supposed to have gathered the people from three cities: Etis, Aphrodisias and Side". Voios was a Heracleidae.

Division of the municipality

• Neapoli / Δ.δ. Νεαπόλεως [ 2751 ]
  
  • Neapoli Voion / η Νεάπολη Βοιών [ 2727 ]
    
  • Paradeision / το Παραδείσιον [ 24 ]
    
• Agios Georgios / Δ.δ. Αγίου Γεωργίου [ 688 ]
  
  • Agios Georgios / ο Άγιος Γεώργιος [ 416 ]
    
  • Viglafia / τα Βιγκλάφια [ 196 ]
    
  • Megali Spilia / η Μεγάλη Σπηλιά [ 76 ]
    
• Agios Nikolaos Voion / Δ.δ. Αγίου Νικολάου Βοιών [ 836 ]
  
  • Agios Nikolaos / ο Άγιος Νικόλαος [ 764 ]
    
  • Valtaki / το Βαλτάκι [ 8 ]
    
  • Korakas / ο Κόρακας [ 6 ]
    
  • Profitis Ilias / ο Προφήτης Ηλίας [ 54 ]
    
  • Tsoumala / η Τσουμάλα [ 4 ]
    
• Agioi Apostoloi / Δ.δ. Αγίων Αποστόλων [ 628 ]
  
  • Agioi Apostoloi / οι Άγιοι Απόστολοι [ 520 ]
    
  • Katounia / τα Κατούνια [ 10 ]
    
  • Kontrafourianika / τα Κοντραφουριάνικα [ 46 ]
    
  • Manolarianika / τα Μανολαριάνικα [ 20 ]
    
  • Sklavouna / η Σκλαβούνα [ 32 ]
    
• Ano Kastanea / Δ.δ. Άνω Καστανέας -- η Άνω Καστανέα [ 97 ]
  
• Velanidia / Δ.δ. Βελανιδίων -- τα Βελανίδια [ 431 ]
  
• Elika / Δ.δ. Ελίκας [ 501 ]
  
  • Elika / η Ελίκα [ 394 ]
    
  • Agios Mamas / ο Άγιος Μάμας [ 48 ]
    
  • Limnes / οι Λίμνες (Δ.δ. Ελίκας) [ 1 ]
    
  • Marathias / ο Μαραθιάς [ 58 ]
    
• Kampos / Δ.δ. Κάμπου [ 582 ]
  
  • Dermatianika / τα Δερματιάνικα [ 571 ]
    
  • Adiakopos / ο Αδιάκοπος [ 11 ]
    
• Kastanea Epidavrou Limiras / Δ.δ. Καστανέας Επιδαύρου Λιμηράς [ 176 ]
  
  • Kato Kastanea / η Κάτω Καστανέα [ 112 ]
    
  • Varko / το Βαρκό [ 39 ]
    
  • Panagia / η Παναγία [ 25 ]
    
• Lachion / Δ.δ. Λαχίου [ 432 ]
  
  • Lachion / το Λάχιον [ 423 ]
    
  • Palaiokastron / το Παλαιόκαστρο [ 9 ]
    
• Mesochorion / Δ.δ. Μεσοχωρίου [ 305 ]
  
  • Mesochorion / το Μεσοχώριον [ 113 ]
    
  • Agios Konstantinos / ο Άγιος Κωνσταντίνος [ 192 ]
    
• Pantanassa / Δ.δ. Παντανάσσης [ 347 ]
  
  • Pantanassa / η Παντάνασσα [ 187 ]
    
  • Agios Elissaios / ο Άγιος Ελισσαίος [ 13 ]
    
  • Kryovrysi / η Κρυόβρυση [ 101 ]
    
  • Limnes / οι Λίμνες (Δ.δ. Παντανάσσης) [ 20 ]
    
  • Platanias / ο Πλατανιάς [ 26 ]
    
• Faraklon / Δ.δ. Φαρακλού -- το Φαρακλόν [ 97 ]

Neapoli

Villages:

Velanidia

Faraklo (Φάρακλο)

Lachi (Λάχι) - Site of the Ancient city named Itis.

Mesochori (Μεσοχώρι) - A village with Byzantine origins.

Agios Nikolaos (Άγιος Νικόλαος) - The Agricultural center for the Municipality. The original name of the village dating back in 17th Century was "Panagia" from an homonymous temple of Virgin Mary. Most of the inhabitants trace their ancestry from the Western parts of Crete that was occupied by the Ottomans in 1669 resulting to a wide refugee influx in the Vatica area. Moreover people from the island of Kythera started populating the village from early 19th Century and onwards. Known families include "Nychas" family presumably indigenous since 17th Century, "Pavlakis" Cretan ancestry and "Michaletos" Venetian ancestry coming from Crete as well. The village has a strong diaspora concentrated in Australia and Pretoria -South Africa.

Paradisi (Παραδέισι)

Ano Kastania (Ανό Καστανία) - The location of many Byzantine Churches and Monasteries.

Kato Kastania (Κάτο Καστανία)

Viglafia (Βιγκλάφια)

Elafonissos - A small island just 500 m of the coast of Vatika near Viglafia.

Links

See also: