Kattavia (also gr, Κατταβιά or it, Cattavia) is a small

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

located on the southernmost tip of the island of

Rhodes Rhodes (; el, Ρόδος , translit=Ródos ) is the largest and the historical capital of the Dodecanese islands of Greece. Administratively, the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the S ...

. It is located within the municipal unit of

South Rhodes South Rhodes ( el, Νότια Ρόδος - ''Nótia Ródos'') is a former municipality on the island of Rhodes, in the Dodecanese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Rhodes Rhodes (; el, Ρόδο� ...

(Nótia Ródos - Νότια Ρόδος) and was at the

epicentre The epicenter, epicentre () or epicentrum in seismology is the point on the Earth's surface directly above a hypocenter or focus, the point where an earthquake or an underground explosion originates. Surface damage Before the instrumental pe ...

of the

2008 Dodecanese earthquake The 2008 Dodecanese earthquake occurred near Kattavia on the island of Rhodes in the eastern Mediterranean Sea on 15 July. The quake struck at 06:26 a.m. local time (UTC+3) and one woman was killed when she slipped and fell as she tried to f ...

Overview

Kattavia is a part of the Municipality of Southern Rhodes which is one of 10 municipalities on Rhodes. The municipality seat is Gennadi, which is located about 14 km north of Kattavia. Kattavia village square or platia is situated over a creek which is dry for most of the year. The village currently has five full-service cafes and two general stores. Kattavia is generally considered to be a traditional village which hasn't been affected much by overdevelopment. The Municipality of Southern Rhodes requires all new construction to adhere to strict traditional building designs when located within the village limits. In recent years, the village has become a destination due to its proximity to Prasonisi, a popular

windsurfing Windsurfing is a wind propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the aerospace and surf culture of California. Windsurfing ga ...

beach.

History

When the

Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headq ...

ruled Rhodes, Kattavia was turned into a fortified village where the population could find refuge when attacked by forces of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

Historical Sites

The church of Agia Paraskevi, the patron saint of the village (19th century), and the church of Panagia Katholiki a 10th-century church located within the villages cemetery. On the way to Prasonisi on the right hand side, the archaeological site of “Vroulia” is found. It is an ancient coastal settlement that many to believe to the predessecor to modern day Kattavia known for its terracotta vessels called “vessels of Vroulia”. Other historical sites include: * Saint George (17th century) * Saint Minas (19th century) * Prophet Elias (19th century) * Apostle Paul (20th century) * Saint Panteleimonas (20th century) * Saint Mark (Italian Catholic church (20th century) reopened (August, 2017) as a Greek Orthodox Church)

Demographics

Kattavia's current population is 250 people, but its registered population is around 600. In the summer months the population of Kattavia swells to over 700, due to the

Greek Diaspora The Greek diaspora, also known as Omogenia ( el, Ομογένεια, Omogéneia), are the communities of Greeks living outside of Greece and Cyprus (excluding Northern Cyprus). Such places historically include Albania, North Macedonia, parts of ...

returning home from countries such as the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and Australia.

Festivals

The village's patron saint is Aghia Paraskevi. Her feast day is July 26, when the village throws a 3-day festival held within the village square. Festivals throughout the year include: * Saint Paraskevi on July 26. The festival takes place the night before and ends the next evening. * Saint Panteleimonas on July 27. The festival takes place the night before and ends the next evening * Dormition of the Virgin Mary on August 15.

Notes

References

* Fürst, Florian (2001) ''Rhodes: An Up-to-date Travel Guide'' Nelles, Munich, p. 59, * Dubin, Marc Stephen (2005) "Kattaviá and Prassoníssi" ''The Dodecanese and the East Aegean islands: Includes Rhodes, Kos, Sames and Lesvos'' Rough Guides, London, pp. 140–142 * Riak, Patricia (2005) ''Concealing and Revealing. The Sousta as Honorable Dance on the Island of Rhodes.'' Ph.D. Thesis, School of Politics and Anthropology, La Trobe University, Victoria, Australia. This is a postgraduate thesis in Social Anthropology reconstructing the traditional wedding in the village of Kattavia during the inter-war period 1925-1940. A copy of the thesis is housed at the Municipal Library of Rhodes in the Old Medieval Town.

External links

South Rhodes website
{{Rhodes div Populated places in Rhodes