Listed 2 sub titles with search on: Information about the place for destination: "KALAMATA Town MESSINIA".
The capital of the province of Messinia has 44.052 residents and it
is built in the eastern part of the inmost part of the Messinian Gulf, at the
foot of Mount Taygetos.
It extends to a great length and has a Beach of 4 km with crystal
clear waters.
It was founded, according to local tradition, in the mid-2nd century
A.D. during the Homeric years by Fari, the son of Hermes and Filodameas, and was
firstly named Farai while its contemporary name, according to tradition, comes
from an icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Kalomata Virgin Mary.
In the years of the Franks Kalamata, the basis of the barony, became
an important centre of medieval civilization, while in its castle, which had been
an acropolis for the ancient Faron and restored by the Franks, the prince and
occcupant (1289-1307) of Moreas, Vileardouinos the 2nd (1246-1278), father of
the princess Izambo, was born.
During the Turkish rule, it became an important financial centre with
Panayiotis Benakis, the most famous of its noblemen, along with the Mavromichalis
family from Mani.
Those become the organisers of the Revolution in 1770, the well-known
Orlofikon. On the 23rd of March in 1821, the Greek Revolution was declared at
the church of St. Apostles against the turkish invader by Petrobeis Mavromichali
the bey of free Mani.
Today, Kalamata is a contemporary city which has been rebuilt after
the disastrous earthquake on the 13th September 1986.
It has recreation facilities, parks and sports facilities where athletes
of individual and team sports prepare in order to take part in international competitions
like the weightlifters and the athletics team who won gold medals in the Olympic
Games of Atlanda.
There are also congress halls, hotels, marinas, campsites and rooms
to rent.
This extract is cited March 2003 from the Messenia Prefecture Tourism Promotion Commission URL below, which contains image.
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