Gümüşhane Province
Gümüşhane Province ( Pontic Greek, Romeika: Αργυρούπολη) is a Provinces of Turkey, province in northern Turkey, bordering Bayburt Province, Bayburt to the east, Trabzon Province, Trabzon to the north, Giresun Province, Giresun and E ...
in
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
, close to its border with
Trabzon Province
Trabzon Province () is a Provinces of Turkey, province and Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, metropolitan municipality of Turkey on the Black Sea coast. Its area is 4,628 km2, and its population is 818,023 (2022). Located in a strategic ...
Pontic Greeks
The Pontic Greeks (; or ; , , ), also Pontian Greeks or simply Pontians, are an ethnically Greek group indigenous to the region of Pontus, in northeastern Anatolia (modern-day Turkey). They share a common Pontic Greek culture that is di ...
who fled the coast of
Pontus
Pontus or Pontos may refer to:
* Short Latin name for the Pontus Euxinus, the Greek name for the Black Sea (aka the Euxine sea)
* Pontus (mythology), a sea god in Greek mythology
* Pontus (region), on the southern coast of the Black Sea, in modern ...
in order to escape the oppression of the
Derebey
A derebey () was a feudalism, feudal lord in Anatolia and the Black Sea, Pontic areas of Lazistan and Adjara in the 18th century, with considerable independence from the central government of the Ottoman Empire.
Derebeys were required to provide m ...
s. It was originally named Santa () and was an important caravan and mining village, with 13 neighborhoods and more than 5,000 citizens.
Before 1856, the inhabitants of Santa were recorded as Christian (51%) and Crypto-Christian (49%). After 1856, with the Ottoman Reform Edict of 1856 that equalized all citizens regardless of religion (removing the "first citizen" status of the Muslims), they changed their status to Christian instead of Crypto-Christians, as pretending to be Muslim was no longer necessary to receive equal rights.
During the
Greek genocide
The Greek genocide (), which included the Pontic genocide, was the systematic killing of the Christian Ottoman Greek population of Anatolia, which was carried out mainly during World War I and its aftermath (1914–1922) – including the T ...
, the population tried to organize armed resistance against the
Turkish army
The Turkish Land Forces () is the main branch of the Turkish Armed Forces responsible for Army, land-based military operations. The army was formed on November 8, 1920, after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Significant campaigns since the ...
. Pontian guerrilla bands appeared in the mountains of Santa as early as 1916 under the leadership of Euklidis Kourtidis and successfully resisted a Turkish attack on September 6, 1921.
Later during the
population exchange between Greece and Turkey
The 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey stemmed from the "Convention Concerning the Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations" signed at Lausanne, Switzerland, on 30 January 1923, by the governments of Greece and Turkey. It involv ...
in 1923, Santa's citizens refused to accept the exchange and fought against being deported, but in the end, they were deported to Greece. After the exchange, the village was completely vacated and renamed and the lands and properties were registered in the Turkish treasury. The village's population settled in
Greek Macedonia
Macedonia ( ; , ) is a geographic and former administrative region of Greece, in the southern Balkans. Macedonia is the largest and geographic region in Greece, with a population of 2.36 million (as of 2020). It is highly mountainous, wit ...
and
Thrace
Thrace (, ; ; ; ) is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe roughly corresponding to the province of Thrace in the Roman Empire. Bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Se ...
Central Macedonia
Central Macedonia ( ; , ) is one of the thirteen Regions of Greece, administrative regions of Greece, consisting the central part of the Geographic regions of Greece, geographical and historical region of Macedonia (Greece), Macedonia. With a ...
.
Today
Today it is a sparsely populated district in the far north of
Gümüşhane
Gümüşhane () is a city in the Black Sea Region of Turkey. It is the seat of Gümüşhane Province and Gümüşhane District.Özhan Öztürk. Karadeniz Ansiklopedik Sözlük. 2005. Istanbul pp.1009-10011
* Piştofandon (): 400 houses, St. Kyriake, St. Panteleimon, St. Christophoros churches, a primary school and fountain of Christoforos. Etymology: , "gun" + - (toponymical suffix in Greek)
* Zurnaciandon (): 120 houses, St. Georgios, St. Constantine, St. Kyriake churches and a primary school. Etymology: , "zurna player" (a reed woodwind instrument) + -
* Çakalandon (): 53 houses, Zoodohu Pigis and St. Georgios churches and a primary school. Etymology: , "jackal" + -
* Ishanandon (): 150 houses. St. Kyriake, St. Georgios churches. 2 primary school (one of them only for girls). Etymology: , meaning "prince" in Armenian + -
* Cozlorandon (): 60 houses. St. Apostles Petros and Pavlos churches and a primary school
* Pinetandon (): 30 houses. Prophet Elias and St. Georgios churches and a primary school
* Terzandon (): 200 houses. St. Theodoros and Metamorfosis churches. Etymology: , meaning "tailor" in Turkish + -
The Santa ruins were declared a Cultural-Archaeological Site and Natural Site in 1999. But as of 2022, only seven of the 13 villages with historical settlements have the conservation status.
See also
* Nea Santa, the Greek village founded by the former inhabitants of Santa
*
Pontic Greeks
The Pontic Greeks (; or ; , , ), also Pontian Greeks or simply Pontians, are an ethnically Greek group indigenous to the region of Pontus, in northeastern Anatolia (modern-day Turkey). They share a common Pontic Greek culture that is di ...