Kastania (

Greek Greek may refer to: 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 of all kno ...

: Καστάνια) is a village in Mesa Mani of

Laconia Laconia or Lakonia (, , ) is a historical and Administrative regions of Greece, administrative region of Greece located on the southeastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Its administrative capital is Sparti (municipality), Sparta. The word ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. An independent community since 1912, it became part of the municipality Sminos in 1997, which in turn became part of the municipality East Mani in 2010.EETAA local government changes
/ref>

Geography

Kastania is 28 km northwestern of

Gytheio Gytheio ( ) or Gythio, also the ancient Gythium or Gytheion (), is a town on the eastern shore of the Mani Peninsula, and a former municipality in Laconia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is par ...

at the southeastern slopes of mount Taygetos. The village is also named locally Kastanitza (Greek: Καστανίτζα) or Mikri Kastania (Greek: Μικρή Καστάνια).Castle of Venetsenakis
in www.kastra.eu Within the village is the historic Church of the Metamorphosis. At the village entrance is an impressive war memorial. A short distance below the village is the early Christian chapel of Ayios Stratiyas. Overlooking the village from its mountainous perch is the impressive Monastery of Panayia Yiatrissa.

History

In 1770, after the Orlov Revolt failed, the

Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...

wanted to punish the

Klepht Klephts (; Greek κλέφτης, ''kléftis'', pl. κλέφτες, ''kléftes'', which means "thieves" and perhaps originally meant just "brigand": "Other Greeks, taking to the mountains, became unofficial, self-appointed armatoles and were know ...

s for their support of it. In siege of Kastania, the Ottoman commander Ali Bey sieged the two Maniot pyrgoi (fighting towers) which belonged to the Venetsanakis clan. With them was the father of the hero of the

Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. In 1826, the Greeks were assisted ...

Theodoros Kolokotronis Theodoros Kolokotronis (; 3 April 1770 – ) was a Greek general and the pre-eminent leader of the Greek War of Independence (1821–1829) against the Ottoman Empire. The son of a klepht leader who fought the Ottomans during the Orlov revolt ...

, Konstantinos Kolokotronis and his wife who was pregnant with his son. Ali Bey laid siege to the pyrgoi. After holding out for three days the defenders burst out of the pyrgoi's doors and charged the Ottomans. Only a few cut through the Ottoman lines. Amongst them was Kolokotronis' wife dressed as a man.

References

Populated places in Laconia East Mani Populated places in the Mani Peninsula {{Peloponnese-geo-stub