Listed 40 sub titles with search on: Sights for destination: "SERRES Prefecture GREECE".
SERRES (Town) MAKEDONIA CENTRAL
St. Anargiri Valley, on the road that leads to the Acropolis, is a real "lung" for the city of Serres. It is a fascinating place. What makes this rural position so fascinating is the overgrowth, the greenery, the trees, plus the shadow from the leafy broad-leafed, old plane trees around the water that continually flows into the valley. The natural beauty of the site, has been developed even more after the construction of the artificial lake, swimming pool, indoor gymnasium, outdoor basketball and tennis courts and also countless other entertainment centers which have to offer "unforgettable" moments.
Situated only 2Km east of the city, the landscape is drowned in vegetation small waterfalls an streams.
SIDIROKASTRO (Town) SERRES
SYMVOLI (Village) SERRES
The Blue Water in Simvoli is fresh spring water appropriate for the breeding of trout
MONI EIKOSSIFONISSIS (Monastery) SERRES
In the middle of the main Monastery is situated the imposing temple
of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Temple and includes the Superior’s
quarters, the cells of the Nuns, the Archontariki (reception room), the Chapel
of St. Varvara with the holy water, the Museum, the Refectory, the workshops and
related installations, while the whole Monastery complex is enclosed in walls
(enceinte).
Before getting to the Monastery one comes to the monument erected
for the 172 monks slaughtered in 1507 by the Turks.
At the external part of the wall there is a place of worship built
with excellent quality marble and close to it another place of worship with a
dome, under which there is holy water. Next to it stands the Cemetery with the
small church of Saints Anarghiri.
To the southeast corner of the Temple stands the Monastery’s
bell-tower. Outside and over the walls to the east, stands an old wind mill, the
"Blessed Virgin Mary Sedile" and a small place of worship.
This text (extract) is cited September 2003 from the Prefecture
of Serres tourist pamphlet.
MONI TIMIOU PRODROMOU SERON (Monastery) SERRES
In the middle of the courtyard stands the main church (Katholikon)
built in 1854 and to its west stands the Phiale, a roofed open-air basin for holy
water, serving liturgical purposes at the feast of Epiphany and every first day
of the month. The main church is surrounded by the Nuns’ cells, the superior’s
cell, the buildings of the Priest School and the Refectory. To the southwest of
the courtyard and to the right of the main gate, stands the quadrangular Tower,
dating from the second "proprietor’s" time. In 1876 the Tower
was repaired and since then it has been transformed into a library. It was there
that there used to be conserved 100 volumes of manuscripts, 1500 printed documents,
4 chrysobulls, 5 patriarchal sigillia and other pieces that were looted and carried
of during the wars. Next to the Tower stand the ARCHONTARIKI (reception room),
dating back to 1795, with internal murals of landscapes, cities, ports and other
decorations.
This text (extract) is cited September 2003 from the Prefecture
of Serres tourist pamphlet.
SERRES (Town) MAKEDONIA CENTRAL
Bezesteni, a building from the 16th-17th century is in the central square of the city and operates as an Archeological Museum, where all the archeological wealth of the Prefecture has been housed.
BEZESTENI Bezesteni, was built according to the model of byzantine markets and probably by a Greek architect. Its name means "fabric market". Those indoor markets (Bezestenis), were very popular and typical of Muslim towns. Their example was followed by the conquered byzantine cities. A Turkish sightseer of the 17th century wrote in his book that "there is a wonderful stone-built building, covered in lead and this is Bezesteni". Today in Greece there are only two Bezestenis that are still preserved: one in Thessaloniki and the other one in Serres.
On Merarchias street a neo-classical building is the seat of the Prefecture of Serres. Built at the end of the 19th century by the architect Xenofon Paeonidis, it is a typical landmark of the city of Serres
Tel: +30 23210 56205
Fax: +30 23210 56205
The ancient and Byzantine acropolis
lies on a hill called Koulas, north of the city of Serres. Several parts of the
fortification are preserved and the outline of the wall can be restored. The SE
and the NW tower (the so-called "Orestes' tower") are preserved in very good condition.
The enclosure wall of the acropolis dates to the 13th-14th centuries.
The architectural phases of the whole structure have not been distinguished
since the acropolis has not been excavated, with the exception of the foundations
of the "Orestes' tower".
Restoration work has been carried out at the wall masonry of the SE
tower and the outer "mantle" of the fortification wall, with parallel repairing
of the joints wherever necessary. Moreover, small walls were constructed to support
sections of the southern wall.
The most important monuments of the site are:
Ruins of the acropolis of Serres. They are of the utmost importance since
they are the only preserved parts of the fortification of Serres and include one
of the most remarkable defensive constructions to be seen in Northern Greece,
the "Orestes' tower". The acropolis is oval in plan, with the long axis in E-W
direction. The gates are not preserved, but they must have existed on the east
and west sides, next to the preserved towers. The northern side of the acropolis
was particularly strengthened with bastions (three of them preserved today) due
to the morphology of the terrain.
"Orestes'
tower".
It is the NW tower of the acropolis and the most outstanding construction of the
ancient city's fortification. Its importance lies both in its overall form and
in the clay inscriptions built in its west wall. According to these, the tower
was built in 1370 by Orestes, the castle-guard of Serres, after an order of Stephen
Dusan.
Church of St
Nicholas. It is located at the NE end of the castle, very close to the
fortification wall. It is a triconch, single-aisled domed church with a subterranean
crypt and dates to the first half of the 14th century.
The powerful Acropolis, in the towers of which still lives the Byzantine
spirit, stands epically on the imposing pine-hill which dominates the modern city
of Serres. The Byzantine Acropolis was built on the site of an ancient fort which
defended the city in the 7th and 6th centuries BC. In the Byzantine period, it
is referred to in many golden bulls (imperial decrees) of various Byzantine emperors
as the "Castle". With time, the word castle ended to mean the whole
city. Until the beginning of our century, the inhabitants of Serres were known
by the neighbouring villages as the "Kastrinoi" (inhabitants of the
castle). After the Franks conquest, the Acropolis was known as the "Castelli"
a name that it preserved until the Tourkokratia (Turkish Dominion). The Turks
gave it the name of "Bas Koule" (= top tower), probably after the large
tower of the west wing. Its current name "Koulas" (tower) originates
from the Turkish one. In Byzantine times, the Acropolis was enclosed by a spindle
shape strong wall, extending from West to East. It encloses various Byzantine
buildings, i.e. the houses of the administrators and other officers of the State.
The Acropolis also housed the appointed by the Byzantine authorities, commander
known as the "guardian of the castle". Leon Ajanetes was a well-known
guardian of the castle and he endorses golden bulls of the first half of the 14th
century. According to the traveller Evliya Celebi, the Acropolis wall had two
gates, one to its east and one to its west end, very close to the respective towers.
Traces of the second gate can still be seen today near the large tower of the
west side. Tall and strong towers reinforced the defence of the wall, out of which
only the strong and stately tower of the west side "The Tower of the King" still
stands only destroyed at the top. This huge tower of presumably almost 20 meters
had a double mission: it protected the city on one part and on the other part,
it constituted the last defence post in the case where the enemy captured the
remaining parts of the Acropolis. An interesting inscription on the right end
of the "Tower of the King" reads, to the prevailing opinions: "ΠΥΡΓΟΣ
ΑΝΔΡΟΝΙΚΟΥ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΟΝ ΕΚΤΙΣΕΝ ΟΡΕΣΤΗΣ" (= The Tower of Andronikos built
by Orestes). The foundation of the Byzantine Acropolis dates from the 9th century
AD. It is then that for the first time, historical sources mention that Emperor
Nicephoros Phocas reinforced the city of Serres. The irresistible Acropolis escaped
the catastrophe. Nevertheless, the definitive capture of Serres by the Turks,
in 1383 AD brings along the desertion and progressive demolition of the Acropolis
as the Turks were systematically destroying the castles, so that they do not become
breeding grounds of the resistance, in the event of a revolutionary movement of
the unredeemed Greeks.
This text (extract) is cited September 2003 from the Prefecture
of Serres tourist pamphlet.
SIDIROKASTRO (Town) SERRES
The defensive enceinte of Byzantine Sidirokastro with an inner and
an outer wall, two gates and a central circular tower with a cistern, are preserved
on the hill of Isare. They date back to the times of Andronicus III Paleologus
(1328-1341). The more recent church of Saint Demetrios is built on the hillside.
Its iconostasis is the facade of a tomb of the Hellenistic Times chiseled in the
rock.
This text (extract) is cited September 2003 from the Prefecture
of Serres tourist pamphlet.
ALISTRATI (Small town) SERRES
Tel: +30 23240 82045
Fax: +30 23240 82046
The cave of Alistrati is considered to be as one of the finest and largest in Greece, and possibly in Europe, where nature show its greatest power of creation.
At the entrance of the cave is the hall, a very nice room of 8 m height. From there start several galleries with great height and rich decoration of stalactites and stalagmites. The cave has also many levels that are unexplored yet.
DAFNI (Village) SERRES
Intersting small cave, known as the Cave of St. Marina can be found in the Village of Dafni. The inhabitants believe that during the difficult years of the Turkish domination the village population was greatly relieved at this cave while they were secretly praying, as we can see on the worn wall-paintings in the caves. According to rumours given by the elders ofthe village, the cave's wall-paintings, which are being repaired, were destroyed by the Turks in 1922 while they were leaving.
EPTAMILI (Village) SERRES
It is one of the largest in Greece and it was discovered in 1965 during the excavation of the local quarries. The cave's opening is in a hill which consists of limestone and has to do with an underground river whose natural entrance has been covered with slime and boulders. On the storeys of the sewers of the cave there are decorations from stalactites and stalagmites in fine patterns, which after the opening of the entrance to the caves and with the help of the circulation of air, dried out and created a novel and pure white decoration which is found in a Greek cave for the first time. Generally, the chambers, sewers and passages are fully decorated. You can see things such as unique flower-shaped recrystalization, complexes of wonderful stalagmites, huge stalactites and so on.
The Cave of Eptamili, even if it is closed for the time being, it is considered to be a place of general touristic interest because firstly of its size and secondly because of its rare kind in the flat Prefecture of Serres.
CHRYSSOPIGI (Settlement) SERRES
Chrisopigi is a wonderful resort of Serres with cool springs, marvelous climate and excellent freshness. That's why the settlement which is "hibernated" during the winter months, becomes a life of activity during the summer months with people from Serres moving to their county houses. The scout and school camps offer great hospitality to their little holiday-makers. In Chrisopigi there is a Forestal and Forestal seedbed Research Centre for the produce of coniferous trees in order to be used for artificial reforestation. There is also a remarkable animal breeding farm , where you can see roes, quails, pheasants, while the forestry area has been put in shape in such a way, so that if offers an ideal environment for those who visit Chrisopigi just for a pic-nic.
KASTANOCHORI (Village) SERRES
The Forest of Kastanohorion is a unique chestnut forest with a wonderful decor of very old chestnut trees.
SERRES (Town) MAKEDONIA CENTRAL
A house that gives us a clear picture of folk architecture is Zaparas' house, which reminds us of the well-known type of Macedonian architecture. In this type of architecture the ground plan of the house is in a "Π" shape. The exterior formation of the building is characterized by gravity and abstinence, while this was always the case with all the mansions during the Turkish domination. The particular attention as far as the spans, doors and ceilings are concerned shows the great wealth of the owner. This mansion is a cross-section of the development which is noticeable in Macedonian architecture in the middle of the 19th century and continues until the beginning of the 20th century.
KERKINI (Lake) SERRES
In the flat and semi-mountainous area, important hydro-biospheres
are developing which are of great international significance and acceptance. The
most essential hydro-biosphere is the one in Kerkini lake. It is a miracle of
nature which came about by man's technical intervention on the natural characteristics
of Strymon river. The water extent, which varies from time to time from 54.250
sq. km to 72.100 sq. km ., works out to be useful in two ways: as a technical
work of great agricultural utility and as a hydrobioshpere for thousands of water
fowls. This wonderful biosphere is recouped by the International Convention of
Ramsar and presents numerous admirable elements. Thousands of birds, both rare
and protege, riverside forests, water-lilies in a large area, fish variety and
fantastic panoramic view from the mountains of Beles and Krousia give it a characteristic
tone.
The main water provider of the lake is Strymon river. Additionally,
there is Kerkinitis river from Krousia that flows into the lake. The lake was
created where Kerkini lake was by making embankments on the Eastern and western
sides and a dam was constructed near the village of Lithotopos, which started
functioning in 1932. After the construction of the dam, the form of the initial
hydrosphere changed completely. The human intervention usually retracts or takes
negative action against the natural processes. Kerkini lake is a rare example,
where the gentle human handling had the exact opposite result. As time went by,
the lake's capacity was reduced because of the substances that were washed up
by Strymon river. So the rising of the embankments and the construction of a new
dam was necessary, which was started in 1982.
PETHELINOS (Village) SERRES
NEA KERDYLIA (Port) SERRES
SERRES (Town) MAKEDONIA CENTRAL
The temple of Ahmet Pasa, close to the torrent of Saints Anargyros, was built, according to a sign on the monmument, in 1492 by Mehmet Bey, son of Selim I. This temple, because of its elegancy and measured similarity to the christian churches, was named "Saint Sofia" by the people of Serres. The beautiful Mausoleums of the conquerors are positioned next to the temple. The grave of Ismail Bey's family is in these Mausoleums. Ismail Bey was one of Serres' governors.
Zintizirli Tzami (Mosque) is a place of great interest because it is obviously influenced by Byzatine architecture. A beautiful Pulpit of fine marble which shows great analogies and similarities to the old christianic pulpits of the byzantine churches, is preserved there.
Tel: +30 23210 71189
The picturesque monastery of Saint
George the Kryonerites is situated on the eastern part of the city, on the
way to St. John. The name "Kryonerites" derives from the cold water spring that
used to be close to this area. The monastery was founded before 1298 and became
a monastery dependency of the monastery of St. John the Baptist in 1344, when
Ypomoni, the wife of Sakellarios Mourmouras, Sovereign of Serres, donated it to
the monastery of St. John the Baptist.
The monastery was destroyed by the Turks in 1572. Its elegant
dome collapsed and was replaced later by a hemispherical roof which was internally
covered by a pyramidal roof. Most probably this roofing was constructed during
the construction in 1864. This is confirmed by a stone engravement located on
the western outer side of the monument.
Of great importance are the two icons decorating the temple as it
is today. One of them depicts the Virgin Mary holding the Jesus under the name
"Pantanoussa" (1694) and the other one depicts Christ Pantocrator under the sign
"Δέησις του δούλου του Θεού Ακακύου μοναχού.
This page
is maintained by Ipirotis Panayotis
DAFNI (Village) SERRES
A place of great historical interest is the last remains of a castle, which is in the village called Dafni. It is the preserved, high Tower (Pyrgos), known to the locals as "Pyrgos of Maro". Maro, from whom the Tower got its name, was the wife of Mourat II a and the daughter of the Serbian sovereign Georgio Brakovits. Her mother was a grandaughter of Matheos Kantakouzinos and niece of Helen, wife of David Komninos, the last emperor of Trapezounta. Maro, after the death of Mourat II, inherited the large village, Dafni, whose ancient name was Ezeve, where she settled down and lived in great luxury and dominance.
In the Old Code of the Cathedral of St. Theodores (of Serres), where the registration of holy vessels and vestments takes places, it is mentioned as "Icon of Maro which was made of the Holy wood". In other words, she had donated to the Cathedral an icon of the Virgin Mary which was made from Holy wood. Even though Maro was so far away from the Sultanic court, she kept on influencing Turkey's policy, something that brought envy to the Turks, who sent people to Dafni to kill her. However, she managed to elude them and hide in a village nearby, where she died not long after.
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