Voies

Template:Infobox Town GR Voies (Greek: Βοιές), or also Vatika (Greek: Βάτικα), is a rural municipality of Greece found in the prefecture of Laconia on the southern 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 Voies is used in a more official context, particularly for postal situations. Voion, the genitive case of Voies, is used in addressing situations, for example, to differentiate the village of Agios Nikolaos in Voies from other villages and towns of the same name one would use Agios Nikolaos Voion.

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

Historical population

Year	Communal population	Change	Municipal population	Change
1981	2,113	-	-	-
1991	2,469	356/16.85%	7,802

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 Elafonissos. 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 Herakles, who is supposed to have gathered the people from three cities: Etis, Aphrodisias and Side". Voios was a Heracleidae.

Neapoli

View of Neapolis from Faraklo

Neapoli (Greek: Νεάπολη meaning "new city") (36°30′42″N 23°03′31″E) is the name of the administrative center of the municipality of the Vatika. It is the largest town found on the extremity of Cape Malea. It was initially an agricultural center, but now has seen a rise in the numbers of tourists (particularly visitors to the neighbouring island of Elafonissos). The commercial center of the town is located on the water front, facing Vatika Bay. There are ferries to the islands Kythira and Elafonisos.

The town is surrounded by the villages of Faraklo, Paradisi and Lachi in its hinterland, and Kambo located on the same plain as Neapoli.

Neapoli has a kindergarten school, a school, a church and a square (plateia).

Agios Nikolaos

Agios Nikolaos (Greek: Άγιος Νικολάος) (36°28′38″N 23°05′53″E) is a small village, south-east of Neapoli. It has a largely agricultural population; however, many inhabitants are employed in the shipping industries.

Places of interest

• Neapoli

Villages:

• velanidia (Βελανίδια)*Bελανίδια Βοιών Λακωνίας/Velanidia Οικισμός των βυζαντινών χρόνων. Το τοπίο είναι υποβλητικό και οφείλεται σε κοσμογονικές δραστηριότητες των εγκάτων της γης σε απώτατους χρόνους, σε βραχώδη και υποβλητικό όγκο, που μοιάζει να κρέμεται μεταξύ ουρανού και γής, μέσα στο βράχο του Αγ. Ιωάννη. Πιο κάτω από στέκεται σιωπηλό μέσα στους αιώνες απομεινάρι τμήματος τοίχου μεσαιωνικών χρόνων που χρησίμευε για περιφράγματα, προστατευτικό των κατοίκων από επιδρομές. Τα Βελανίδια διακρίνονται για τα βυζαντινά ναϊδριά τους. Ο μονόχωρος καμαρόσκεπαστος ναός του Αγ. Κωνσταντίνου και του Αγ. Παντελεήμονος και ο μονόχωρος του Αγ. Ιωάννη του Χρυσόστομου εντυπωσιάζουν με την πλούσια θεματογραφία των τοιχογραφιών τους και την παραστατικότητα των μορφών. Ο Αγ. Μύρων και ο Σωτήρας προξενούν το ενδιαφέρον ως αρχιτεκτονήματα αλλά και με τις πλαγιές της ρεματιάς που ξεκινά από το βουνό του Αγ. Γιάννη, προχωρεί μέσα σε πλούσια βλάστηση από ελαιόδενδρα και φτάνει μέχρι την θάλασσα, όπου υπάρχει μια θαυμάσια και γοητευτική παραλία. Στην κορυφή του βουνού υπάρχει κτίσμα των Γερμανών από τα χρόνια της Κατοχής που χρησίμευε για Γερμανικό παρατηρητήριο και σταθμός επαφής με τις θάλασσες της ανατολικής Μεσογείου
• 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 inhabitans 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 strarted populating the village from early 19th Century and onwards. Known families include "Nychas" family presumambly indigeneous since 17th Century, "Pavlakis" Cretan ancestry and "Michaletos" Venetian ancestry coming from Crete as well. The village has a strong diaspora concetrated 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.

External links

• Velanidia(Greek, German)

• Vatika (Greek, English)
• Neapolis Site (In English)
• photos from vatika & elafonissos

See also

• Communities of Laconia
• Gayatri Shaktipeeth Vatika