Nea Skioni
Nea Skioni is located
in the southwest part of the peninsula of Kassandra (Chalkidiki) at a distance
of 110 kilometres from Thessaloniki.
This is a small
traditional town situated in an area endowed with rare natural beauty, where
the carefree sea bathing is well combined with hiking in the pine forest.
From
history
Toponym of the town
owes its origin to the ancient town Skioni, which, according to Thucydides, the
famous historian of ancient Greece, was founded by palliniytsians (residents of
the ancient polis Pallini Peloponnese), during their return to their homeland
after the Trojan War. Later, the Athenians resettled here Plataeans, natives of
the city Platees (Boeotia), but with all this the precursor to the modern town
of Nea Skioni (New Skioni) is a mountain village Tsaprani. Since the beginning
of the last century, its inhabitants were periodically going down the coast, as
a result of having founded here a fishing village in 1918.
During the Ottoman
rule, Tsaprani, along with other 12 villages of Chalkidiki, was part of the
Waqf Gazanfer-aga. A prominent fighter against Ottoman rule (during the Greek
national liberation struggle in 1821) who came from the village was Nikolaos
Stergiou.
Religious
festivals
From the old village Tsaprani,
a church of the Holy Trinity (Agia Triada) of 1867 has survived. It holds an
annual traditional religious festival (panigiri), which unites locals and
visitors from different parts of Chalkidiki.
Another attraction is
the church of Panagia Skioni Phaneromeni (Holy Mother of God), which is
decorated with frescoes of the 16th century and which stands opposite of the
sea, 2 kilometres east of the modern resort town, on the site of the ancient
Skioni.
In 1881, after Thessaly
was liberated from the Ottoman rule, this temple was handed over to the
monastery Thessaly Flamur, which it belonged to, the Ecumenical Patriarchate
(namely - the Theological School of Halki), remaining in his possession to this
day.
The Church of Panagia
Faneromeni has an image of Virgin Mary painted on the vertical marble pedestal.
According to the
legend, once upon a time, late in the evening, one of the local villagers saw
the light in the sea approaching the shore. Thinking that it was a pirate ship,
he hastened to warn his fellow villagers. In the morning, when the light reached
the shore, they saw that it was a big piece of marble, which has the face of
Virgin Mary depicted on its surface. Residents were amazed by this
unprecedented miracle and asked the Turkish bey, a ruler of the region at that
time, to build a small church, which could become the abode of the estimated
icons. However, he not only refused their request, but on top of that, tossed
the marble ground, violently stomping it with his feet. Suddenly marble
depicting the sacred image became soft as clay, resulting the leg of the bey to
bog down in it and finally get stuck. Bay, who was utterly frightened by what
had happened, immediately repented and offered his apology, giving permission
to build the church.
According to local
residents, this icon was crying before the tragic events that were brewing in
the country, as it was, for example, before the World War II and shortly before
the invasion of Turkish forces into Cyprus. And even more recently, when Skopje
has raised the issue of renaming the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
(FYROM) as ‘Macedonia’, which contradicts the historical reality and goes
against the interests of Greece.
Every year, on 23
August, there is a large-scale religious festival happening here. It is a
rather solemn assembly (in Orthodoxy it is the last day of the great feast) of
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrated in Greece on 15 August
(according to the Gregorian calendar).
Harbour
Skioni
A distinctive feature
of Nea Skioni, compared with other places of Chalkidiki, is its largest harbour
in the entire peninsula. There are many moored fishing boats (caiques) that
came here from the Thermal Bay and even the Gulf Islands Northern Sporades
(Alonissos, Skiathos, Skopelos and others).
A walk along the harbour
ended by the meal of the most tasty fish dishes prepared in one of the fish
taverns of the seaside settlement is undoubtedly the most attractive offer for
every visitor, refusing which is simply impossible.
Apart from fish
taverns, the modern resort of Nea Skioni has numerous hotel complexes, hotels,
apartments, souvenir shops and supermarkets
It also has its own
taxi, pharmacy, medical centre, primary school, kindergarten and port services
(customs).
This is a truly unique
place for living, rest and relaxation.
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