Varosi
Varosi is an old neighbourhood of Edessa, in Central Macedonia, Greece.
Location[edit]
The neighbourhood is in the southeast of Edessa, south of the Waterfalls Park.[1] It was originally located next to the rock that had been the site of the Byzantine acropolis,[2] so it is built along the top of a cliff on the remains of the citadel and the city walls, overlooking the site of the ancient city.[3]
History[edit]
Varosi was the first Christian section of Edessa.[2][3][4] Its walls withstood Turkish bombardment for eight months, after which they were torn down; Christians there continued to worship under the Ottomans.[5]
During the Nazi occupation of Greece, resistance fighters used Varosi as a base, because their knowledge of the neighbourhood and its proximity to the plains made it relatively easy to escape searchers.[5] As a result, the Germans burnt a large part of the neighbourhood in 1944.[3][4]
Varosi is the only old quarter of the city to have survived.[4] It was declared a traditional settlement in 1983, and has been restored.[3] Several 19th-century houses in traditional Macedonian style are preserved, including some mansions.[3] They characteristically have stone foundations and protruding upper storeys supported by wooden beams.[5]
Notable buildings[edit]
- Old Metropolitan Cathedral of Edessa (Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God)[6][7]
- Saints Peter and Paul Church, Edessa[6][8]
- Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, Edessa
- Edessa Ecclesiastical Museum
- Folklore Museum of Edessa[5]
References[edit]
- ^ Korina Miller (2018). Greece (13th ed.). Footscray, Victoria: Lonely Planet Publications. ISBN 9781786574466.
- ^ a b Maurice Cerasi (2007). Multicultural Urban Fabric and Types in the South and Eastern Mediterranean. Beirut: Orient Institut. p. 146. ISBN 9783899135923.
- ^ a b c d e "Pella: Varosi of Edessa". Visit Central Macedonia. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
- ^ a b c "Varosi Traditional District". Edessia. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
- ^ a b c d Julia Bonnheim; Simon William Vozick-Levinson, eds. (2006). Let's Go: Greece (8th ed.). New York: St. Martin's. p. 303. ISBN 978-0-312-34885-4.
- ^ a b Προσκυνηματικές περιηγήσεις στην Περιφερειακή Ενότητα Πέλλας. 2007. p. 4.
- ^ G. Stalidis. "Church of the Dormition of Virgin Mary (Old Cathedral)". Odysseus. Ministry of Culture and Sports. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
- ^ R. Palanta. "Byzantine Church St. Peter & St. Paul". City of Edessa. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
External links[edit]
40°48′05″N 22°03′12″E / 40.801385°N 22.053391°E
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