Location information

Filiatra

The city of Filiatra nowadays constitutes an important agricultural and commercial centre, built on a plain of olive groves and vineyards. The area has been inhabited since the Prehistoric Υears while in the area of St. Kyriaki (=Sunday) was the ancient city Erana with the areas Arini and Aliartos. During the domination by the Eneti(1685-1715) the area around Filiatra belonged to the district of Kallithea(Belvedere), as the area from Methoni to Filiatra was called, while during the second period of the domination by the Turks (1715-1821) Filiatra had developed into an important commercial centre of the area.

After the Revolution of 1821, products like oil and raisins were exported directly to the markets of the West, creating a state of wealth for the inhabitants until 1886 when the city was destroyed by an earthquake, while it got its name from the abundance of wells, the filiatra that existed in the area. There are byzantine monuments that are saved in the area which prove unmistakingly the prosperity of the hellenic-christian civilization, like St. Sotira of Christians (=the saviour of Christians), the Monastery of St. Christoforos, the Church of Vlaherna, St. Dionysios of Morenas, the Church of the Resumption and the Blessed Virgin Mary of Agriliotissa etc. The beaches at Lagouvardo, St. Kyriaki the Stomio and Agrili have golden sand and clean seas and are visited by many tourists every year.

This extract is cited March 2003 from the Messenia Prefecture Tourism Promotion Commission URL below, which contains image.

• http://www.na-messinia.gr/docs-en/p6c.htm