Galatista

LocationGalatista

Galatista is a town of the Municipality of Polygyros. Galatista is built on the northwest boundaries of Halkidiki on the border with Thessaloniki. It is located on the southern slopes of Mount Profitis Ilias, a branch of Chortiatis, in a strategic position connecting the cities of Central Macedonia and mountainous Halkidiki. It is 40 km from the center of Thessaloniki and 23 km from Polygyros. Below the town is the valley of Anthemounta with the homonymous river, which ends in the Thermaic Gulf.

The most prevalent version of the name of the town is contained in a report by Bishop Ardamerios Ioakim in 1918 that the name of the town comes from the Tower of Galatistas, which was built by the Venetians in a strategic position to control the area in the 14th-15th century. The local tradition has many myths about the origins of the tower’s name, including historical or mythical figures of Greek mythology until Byzantine times. The earlier testimony related to the Galatissa region is found in a code of the Monastery of the Great Lavra of Mount Athos, issued March 14, 897.

Galatista is one of the oldest villages in Halkidiki and has several archaeological finds in its plain and within the village. In Pyrgos there are built-in architectural members of a Christian temple. The architecture of the traditional Macedonian houses of the village, the two-story houses, the interior with a balcony and a view towards the plain, are of great interest to the visitor. Galatista has many churches and chapels such as Agios Dimitrios, Agia Paraskevi, Agios Nikolaos, Panagia and Saint Prodromos. Thanks to its mountain, Galatista has many fountains of distinct beauty such as the St. George’s fountain and the Serbian fountain. The primary school, on the western side of the village, stands out with its architectural style.