Chrysovitsi ( el, Χρυσοβίτσι) is a mountain village and a community in the municipal unit of

Falanthos Falanthos ( el, Φάλανθος) is a former municipality in Arcadia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Tripoli, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 208.545& ...

Arcadia Arcadia may refer to: Places Australia * Arcadia, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney * Arcadia, Queensland * Arcadia, Victoria Greece * Arcadia (region), a region in the central Peloponnese * Arcadia (regional unit), a modern administrative un ...

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 ...

. At the 2011 census its population was 33 for the village and 58 for the community, which includes the village Mantaiika, 5 km southeast of Chrysovitsi. Built on the slopes of

Mainalo Mainalo ( el, Μαίναλο, grc, Μαίναλος or Μαίναλον, Mainalos or Mainalon; la, Maenalus) is the tallest mountain in the Menalon highlands of the Peloponnese, and is located in Arcadia, Greece. In antiquity, the mountain wa ...

at 1,100 m, Chrysovitsi is one of the highest villages in the Peloponnese. It is a traditional settlement since November 23, 1998 (Law 908D) and its code number is 12317201. Chrysovitsi is 4 km southwest of Piana, 7 km northeast of

Lykochia Lykochia ( el, Λυκόχια) is a village in the municipality of Megalopoli, Arcadia, Greece. It is situated in the southwestern foothills of the Mainalo mountains. It is 2 km northeast of Pavlia, 3 km northwest of Karatoulas, 7 km southwest of C ...

, 11 km east of

Stemnitsa Stemnitsa ( el, Στεμνίτσα) is a mountain village in the municipal unit of Trikolonoi, Arcadia, Peloponnese, Greece. It was the seat of the former municipality Trikolonoi. Stemnitsa is a traditional settlement and is considered one of th ...

and 15 km northwest of

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to: Cities and other geographic units Greece *Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in ...

. The village’s houses are all on the slope of the mountain. Allowing a great view over the valley, a green pasture – in fact a small

karstic Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

plain – kind of a typical arcadian landscape. Forest fires are a permanent threat in the

mountains.

Population

History

The settlement dates back to the 15th century. Around 1700, it was mentioned as ''Chrissovizzi'' under the Venetian census and later ''Xovitzi'' (Ξοβίτζι). The village was a center of Greek rebellion during the Greek Revolution of 1821. The revolutionary leader

Theodoros Kolokotronis Theodoros Kolokotronis ( el, Θεόδωρος Κολοκοτρώνης; 3 April 1770 – 4 February 1843) was a Greek general and the pre-eminent leader of the Greek War of Independence (1821–1829) against the Ottoman Empire. Kolokotronis's g ...

grew up in nearby Limpovisi. In 1935, a lumbermill was built, which was operated until 1972. It is now used as a museum by the Forest Council. In 1997, the formerly independent community joined the municipality of Falanthos.

Song Archives of Sam Chianis, PhD

Noted ethnomusicologist Sam Chianis, PhD (Σωτηριος Τσιανης) made many trips to Greece in his academic career to catalogue recordings of folk songs as sung and played by locals of various regions. His extensive archive include hundreds of songs from Chrysovitsi alone that was amassed from 2 trips: early 1959 (over 400 songs) and summer 1969 (approximately 110 songs). Dr Chianis' music library is considered culturally significant and he has shared his collection for posterity with several institutions including the Academy of Athens.

Chicago Organization

The Chrysovitsi Society of Chicago (officially The Benevolent Society of Saint Mary, Chrysovitsi) was formed in the 1950s and hosts social events including an annual 4th of July picnic a northern suburb of Chicago. Funds are raised to benefit philanthropic projects in Chrysovitsi.

References

External links