Skoutari () is a village and a

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

of the municipality of East Mani. Before the 2011 local government reform it was a part of the municipality of Gytheio, of which it was a municipal district. The community of Skoutari covers an area of 11.667 km². According to local tradition it was founded by refugees from the

Fall of Constantinople The Fall of Constantinople, also known as the Conquest of Constantinople, was the capture of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire. The city was captured on 29 May 1453 as part of the culmination of a 55-da ...

in 1453.

History

Ancient Town

In the Mycenaean period of

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 ...

, there was thought to be a town called Vorthona which is now submerged. In

Ancient Greece Ancient Greece () was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity (), that comprised a loose collection of culturally and linguistically r ...

, the town used to be called Asine. The town was under

Sparta Sparta was a prominent city-state in Laconia in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (), while the name Sparta referred to its main settlement in the Evrotas Valley, valley of Evrotas (river), Evrotas rive ...

n control. In 218 BC, the inhabitants of Asine defeated the army of Philip V of Macedon who was besieging the town. During the Roman period it belong to Sparta ever though most of the other towns in the area were part of the Union of Free Laconians.

Modern Town

The modern town of Skoutari was founded in 1453 AD by refugees from the namesake district of

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

who fled from 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 ...

during the

. While the rest of Greece fell to the Ottoman Turks, Mani remained free. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Skoutari became a haven for pirates which rivalled Oitylo. The Ottomans tried to conquer Mani in 1770 and they laid siege to the tower of the Grigorakis clan which was one of the most powerful in Mani and whose base was Skoutari and they blew it up with gunpowder after a three-day siege. The Ottoman army was later defeated in the Battle of Vromopigada in the plain outside Skoutari and repelled from Mani. The Ottomans tried to capture Skoutari again in 1815 but they were defeated and driven back. In 1832, Greece was recognized as an independent state and Skoutari became part of it. During World War II, Greece was invaded by the Germans and Italians who captured Skoutari.

Recent history

Now Skoutari is a peaceful sea town with around 150 residents during summer. Skoutari was struck by forest fire in July 2007.

Geography

Skoutari was built on a hill around 50 metres above the sea level. Skoutari is linked by a road linking Cape Tenaro and Gythio encircling the eastern half of the peninsula. Farmlands are in the valleys, the mountains dominate most of the area and forests covers the valley areas especially around the village, the rest of the land are made up of rocks, bushes and grasslands. The Skoutari Bay lies directly to the east and are surrounded by bluffs, rocks and treacherous landscapes.

Nearest places

* Kotronas, south * Kalyvia, east

Administrative division

The community of Skoutari consists of two separate settlements: * Parasyros (population 83 as of 2021) *Skoutari (population 244)

Historical population

References

{{East Mani div Populated places in Laconia East Mani Populated places in the Mani Peninsula 1453 establishments in Europe Populated places established in the 1450s