Fanari ( el, Φανάρι) or Fanarion (Φανάριον) is a village in

Karditsa Karditsa ( el, Καρδίτσα ) is a city in western Thessaly in mainland Greece. The city of Karditsa is the capital of Karditsa regional unit of region of Thessaly. Inhabitation is attested from 9000 BC. Karditsa ls linked with GR-30, the ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

, with a population of 433 (2011 census). Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality

Mouzaki Mouzaki ( el, Μουζάκι) is a town and a municipality in the northwestern part of the Karditsa (regional unit), Karditsa regional unit, Greece. Mouzaki is located on the southwestern edge of the Thessalian plain, where the river Pamisos (Thes ...

, whereas before that it was the seat of the municipality of Ithomi. Fanari occupies the site of the ancient town of

Ithome Mount Ithome (Greek: Ἰθώμη) or Ithomi, previously Vourkano(s) ( el, Βουρκάνο(ς)) or Voulcano(s) ( el, Βουλκάνο(ς)), is the northernmost of twin peaks in Messenia, Greece. Mount Ithome rises to about , about over Valyra, ...

History

The village is located on the end of a series of hills extending into the

Thessalian plain The Thessalian plain ( el, Θεσσαλική πεδιάδα, Θεσσαλικός κάμπος) is the dominant geographical feature of the Greek region of Thessaly. The plain is formed by the Pineios River and its tributaries and is surrounded ...

northwest of

, and commands a broad view of the surrounding area. The current settlement dates to the later

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

, but is located on the ruins of the ancient city of Ithome, which survived until early

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

times. Fanari is mentioned for the first time in 1304, when it was briefly occupied by the forces of the regent of

Epirus sq, Epiri rup, Epiru , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = Historical region , image_map = Epirus antiquus tabula.jpg , map_alt = , map_caption = Map of ancient Epirus by Heinrich ...

Anna Palaiologina Kantakouzene Anna Palaiologina Kantakouzene ( el, Άννα Καντακουζηνή) (died after 1313) was the niece of the Byzantine emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos, second wife of Nikephoros I Komnenos Doukas of Despotate of Epirus, Epirus and regent of Epiru ...

. It then came under the control of the autonomous Thessalian magnate

Stephen Gabrielopoulos Stephen Gabrielopoulos ( el, Στέφανος Γαβριηλόπουλος, died 1332/1333) was a powerful magnate and semi-independent ruler in western Thessaly, who pledged allegiance to the Byzantine Empire and was rewarded with the title of ''se ...

, and on his death in 1333 it passed to the ruler of Epirus,

John II Orsini John II Orsini, also John Komnenos Doukas or Comnenus Ducas (Greek: Ἰωάννης Κομνηνός Δούκας, ''Iōannēs Komnēnos Doukas'', Italian: Giovanni II Orsini), was count palatine of Cephalonia from 1323 to 1324 and Despot of Epir ...

, who fortified it. The castle, a plain structure on a circular plateau some 100 m across, is well preserved to this day. It features five square towers, and a strong gate-tower on its western side, while a

cistern A cistern (Middle English ', from Latin ', from ', "box", from Greek ', "basket") is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. Cisterns are distinguished from wells by t ...

and remains of a barracks survive in the interior. The ''

archon ''Archon'' ( gr, ἄρχων, árchōn, plural: ἄρχοντες, ''árchontes'') is a Greek word that means "ruler", frequently used as the title of a specific public office. It is the masculine present participle of the verb stem αρχ-, mean ...

tes'' (local elders) of Fanari are mentioned in several documents: in 1342 Michael Gabrielopoulos assured them that no

Albanians The Albanians (; sq, Shqiptarët ) are an ethnic group and nation native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, culture, history and language. They primarily live in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Se ...

would be settled in their area, and confirmed their possession of the monasteries of Lykousada and

Porta Panagia The church of Porta Panagia ( el, Πόρτα-Παναγιά), full name Panagia tis Portas (Παναγία της Πόρτας, "Panagia of Porta"), is a Byzantine-era church near the town of Pyli, in the Trikala Prefecture in Greece. Location and ...

, while in 1382 the ''archontes'' are mentioned in a local church synod. In 1444, when the

Despot of the Morea The Despotate of the Morea ( el, Δεσποτᾶτον τοῦ Μορέως) or Despotate of Mystras ( el, Δεσποτᾶτον τοῦ Μυστρᾶ) was a province of the Byzantine Empire which existed between the mid-14th and mid-15th centu ...

and future

Byzantine emperor This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, to its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as le ...

Constantine XI Palaiologos Constantine XI Dragases Palaiologos or Dragaš Palaeologus ( el, Κωνσταντῖνος Δραγάσης Παλαιολόγος, ''Kōnstantînos Dragásēs Palaiológos''; 8 February 1405 – 29 May 1453) was the last List of Byzantine em ...

, briefly expanded his control into

Central Greece Continental Greece ( el, Στερεά Ελλάδα, Stereá Elláda; formerly , ''Chérsos Ellás''), colloquially known as Roúmeli (Ρούμελη), is a traditional geographic region of Greece. In English, the area is usually called Central ...

, he installed a governor of his own in Fanari. A local bishopric is attested from 1382 to 1388 on, initially in combination with Kappoua (modern Kappas), but after the Ottoman conquest of Thessaly it became a separate see and was even raised to an archbishopric. Today the see is a

titular bishopric A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbish ...

within the

Church of Greece The Church of Greece ( el, Ἐκκλησία τῆς Ἑλλάδος, Ekklēsía tē̂s Helládos, ), part of the wider Greek Orthodox Church, is one of the autocephalous churches which make up the communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. Its ...

, held since 2003 by Agathangelos (Vasileios) Haramantidis.

Population

References

Sources

* {{Mouzaki div Byzantine castles in Thessaly Defunct dioceses of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople Populated places in Karditsa (regional unit)