Agios Mamas

Agios Mamas

Agios Mamas is a small town located between Cassandra and Sithonia at a distance of 70 kilometers from Thessaloniki and 22 kilometers from Polygyros, which is the capital of Chalkidiki.  

Population of the town is just over 1,000 people. The main occupations of the inhabitants of Agios Mamas are tourism and cultivation of olives as the area in which the settlement is located is very fertile.  

The beach of the resort is very popular. You can reach it in two ways: either to drive 5,5 kilometers to the south of Nea Moudania and then, just before you reach Nea Potidea, turn left and towards the shoreline, or to continue your journey to the east after the road junction  Nea Moudania, which is 3,5 kilometers from Agios Mamas, situated at a 2-kilometre distance from the beach.  

A huge beach of Agios Mamas reaches a length of seven kilometers and stretches from Nea Potidea to a small river Vatunya. Despite the fact that all local roads are made of dirt, they are in very good condition and therefore suitable for free drive. There are a number of some beach bars that stretch across the entire length of the beach. There are also taverns. Limited number of beach bars can be explained by the fact that the lagoon of Agios Mamas is a wetland. It is part of the European nature protection network Natura 2000 and organised in order to protect avifauna of the region.  

The town has a kindergarten and elementary school.  

The town runs a famous annual Greek religious festival (from 1 to 4 of September) taking place, from 1870, on the site of the new temple of Agios Mamas (St. Mamant) that was erected in place of the old one. There is also a center of modern culture located right next to the church.

History
Archaeological excavations that were carried out on the hill of St. Mamant have brought to light some discoveries revealing the fact that the place was populated from the 5th century BC. The village of Agios Mamas is mentioned in documents of the Holy Mount Athos from 11th century. In the 15th century, the place fell under the Turkish domination and throughout the period of the Ottoman rule it paid tax to the sultan (khasi) in Longos.  

The old village was an estate (chiflik) of antiquity lover Pasha Mikhail-bei from the city of Serres who decorated his yard with numerous archaeological items, which were discovered during excavations on the territory of Chalkidiki.  

In 1821, during the Greek national liberation struggle against the Turkish occupation, the famous Battle of Elon took place in this area. Some outstanding freedom fighters who came from the local population were Dimitrios Polyzos and Ioannis Polyzos, John Avgerinos and others.