Skliros ( el, Σκληρός) is a village in the municipal unit of

Eira Eira is a neighborhood in Helsinki, the capital of Finland. History The district dates back to the early 20th century and received its name after Eira Hospital in the neighboring district of Ullanlinna, which in turn took its name from Eira ...

Messenia Messenia or Messinia ( ; el, Μεσσηνία ) is a regional unit (''perifereiaki enotita'') in the southwestern part of the Peloponnese region, in Greece. Until the implementation of the Kallikratis plan on 1 January 2011, Messenia was a ...

, southern

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 ...

. In its district lies the

Temple of Apollo at Bassae Bassae ( la, Bassae, grc, Βάσσαι - ''Bassai'', meaning "little vale in the rocks") is an archaeological site in Oichalia, a municipality in the northeastern part of Messenia, Greece. In classical antiquity, it was part of Arcadia. Bassae ...

. It is south of

Andritsaina Andritsaina ( el, Ανδρίτσαινα) is a village and a former municipality in Elis, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Andritsaina-Krestena, of which it is a municipal unit. The munici ...

, northwest of Kakaletri and west of

Megalopoli Megalopoli ( el, Μεγαλόπολη) is a town in the southwestern part of the regional unit of Arcadia, southern Greece. It is located in the same site as ancient Megalopolis ( grc, Μεγαλόπολις, literally ''large/great city''). When ...

History

In ancient times, the village belonged to the region of

ancient Arcadia Arcadia ( el, Ἀρκαδία) is a region in the central Peloponnese. It takes its name from the mythological character Arcas, and in Greek mythology it was the home of the gods Hermes and Pan. In European Renaissance arts, Arcadia was celebr ...

and the city of

Phigalia Phigalia or Phigaleia or Phigalea ( grc, Φιγαλεία or ΦιγαλέαSo in Polybius, '' The Histories, iv. 3. or Φιγάλεια or ΦιγαλίαSo in Pausanias), also known as Phialia (Φιαλία or Φιάλεια), was an ancient Greek ...

. The village was originally founded in 900-950 AD. by residents of the surrounding neighbourhoods. After a number of years, the village was given as a personal manor or "Pronoia" (

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

: πρόνοια, meaning "care" or "forethought") to

Romanos Skleros Romanos may refer to: *Romanos, Aragon, a municipality in the province of Zaragoza, in Aragon. *Romanos the Melodist, early medieval Greek poet and saint *Romanos I Lekapenos (870–948), Byzantine Emperor from 920 to 944 *Romanos II (938–963), ...

, the son of the Byzantine General,

Bardas Skleros Bardas Skleros (Greek: Βάρδας Σκληρός) or Sclerus was a Byzantine general who led a wide-scale Asian rebellion against Emperor Basil II during the years 976 to 979. Background Bardas belonged to the great family of the Skleroi, ...

, where he settled with his family. Romanos had married the sister of Emperor Constantine VII. From Romanos' came the villages new name, "Sklirou" (Greek: Σκληρού). During the Frankish occupation, the area of the village may have belonged to the

Barony of Karytaina The Barony of Karytaina or of Skorta was a medieval Frankish fiefdom of the Principality of Achaea, located in the Peloponnese peninsula in Greece, centred on the town of Karytaina ( el, Καρύταινα; french: Caraintaine; it, Caritena) i ...

, or was on its borders. Close to the village is the Castle of St. Helen (modern day Castle of Theisoa). During Constantine Paleologos campaign against the

Franks The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools, ...

, the castle was used by the inhabitants of Sklirou.

References

Populated places in Messenia {{Peloponnese-geo-stub