Arnaia

LocationArnaia

Arnaia is a town and was the capital of the homonymous municipality of Chalkidiki until 2010. From 2010 until today, it belongs to the municipality of Aristotle, based in Ierissos. It is one of the most picturesque villages of Northern Chalkidiki and the seat of the Holy Metropolis of Ierissos, Mount Athos and Mount Athamerion. It is built at an altitude of 600 meters, at the foot of the dense forest of Holomontas mountain, having a valley of green meadows facing the northeast and across the forests of Mount Drebenikos. It was particularly developed in the 19th century, when it acquired the form it has today.

Arnaia refers to Thucidides under the name Arni and from there Vassidas passed during the Peloponnesian War. For reasons we do not know, the ancient city was destroyed. In the following centuries, settlements were created in that place. The records of the Ottoman state up to 1478 are recorded as arable land (mezraa) of Paleochori. He had no inhabitants. Her tax proceeds belonged to the proceeds of Paleochori. Between 1478 and 1519 it turned into a Christian village. From the middle of the 18th century it began to refer to springs and belonged to the villages of Mandemohoria. Its inhabitants took part in the Revolution of 1821 and the village was burned, among other 41, by Bairam Pasha, after the crash of the rebellion in Chalkidiki. Major fighters of the revolution of 1821 were Eleftherios Ioannou, Dimitrios Nicolaou and Margaritis Demetriou. Also, the grandfather Konstantinos Efthymiadis who spent his fortune in the fight. The residents also attended the Macedonian Struggle, organizing a local Defense Committee. The liberation took place on 2 November 1912.

Until 1928, was named Liarigovi and then it received its current name, Arnaia. The Renaming Committee, bearing in mind both versions, that probably the two ancient cities, the Arnes and the Aegean, were probably built nearby, they renamed town in Arnaia, joining the syllable Arn – from the ancient town of Arnai to the end – even from the city of Aegaia.

Arnaia maintains even today examples of an old local community in terms of its urban and architectural character. The settlement did not develop on an organized pre-existing web. It is old, has no urban plan and is densely built. According to the tradition, the inhabitants who returned to the city after its destruction by the Turks began rebuilding the settlement around the squares. The houses are very close to each other and without courtyards to protect themselves from the wind and keep them warm during the winter.

It is famous for its traditional buildings. The old school of 1871 next to the central temple, in the “Chorosta” square is a sample. It is perhaps the oldest and finest 19th century school in Chalkidiki. His masonry follows the Athonite technique. Today it houses the former Town Hall (now Arnaia is just the historic seat of the expanded municipality of Aristotle).

The metropolis of St. Stephen (1812), with its bell tower dating back to 1889, was also a sight. The church was built as a three-aisled basilica without a dome in 1812, probably at the foundations of a temple of the Early Christian and Byzantine period. It fell during the Chalkidiki revolution (1821) and in September 2005 in a fire, which led to archaeological excavations with significant finds (such as the foundations of the older temples). The traditional houses of Arnaia were built in the first half of the 19th century century (these are ruined and are saved a few) and others in the period 1850-1945 (stone and two-storey, with bedrooms and a vault).

In the center of the town is the Historical and Folklore Museum. It is housed in an 18th-century mansion, with 2 floors. At the ground floor of the museum, the visitor can see representative examples of Arnaia’s architectural heritage, traditional musical instruments, beekeeping and agricultural tools. On the upper floor there are tools for preparing and serving coffee and in other areas weaving tools, kitchen utensils and other items of everyday use.