GERAKI
ITS HISTORY AND ITS MONUMENTS
Geraki is a little town of Lacedaemon of almost
1,500 inhabitants, situated south-east of Sparta and in a
distance 0f 35 miles. But not withstanding its littleness, this
town has a long and almost continuous historical life, which we
can follow during this several periods of history, and which life
symbolises in a way the eternity of the Hellenic nation.
Prohistorical epoch.The locality, where Geraki is situated
today was inhabited from times immemorial before the historical
period. During the excavations, which the English Archaeological
School in Athens has taken up the year 1905 in the old acropolis
near the town , objects were found, belonging to the so-called
Neolithic epoch, which according the archaeologists coincides (in
the continental Greece) with the fourth millennium BC These
foundlings prove that the place had been inhabited by men before
6,000 years almost. As far as I know, in no other place of
Lacedaemon objects of that period have been found in exception of
few other place of Peloponnesus.
During the same excavations were found also objects of the copper
period, which followed the Neolithic, and which according the
archaeologists coincides with the middle of the third millennium,
t.i. about 2,500 BC. From the fact that objects of these two
different epochs were found together in the same place, we
conjecture that the Neolithic civilisation of the said settlement
was not destroyed abruptly, but has been replaced little by
little by the invasion of the copper civilisation in
Peloponnesus.
Mycenean epoch.During this epoch, which begins from the
year 1800 BC and continues till the invasion of the Dorians, t.i.
until the year 1104 BC a civilian settlement has been settled up
more or less perfect, a city, called probably from that time Geronthrae.
At the excavations many objects were found belonging to that
epoch, mostly mycenean vases. During that period the citated of
Geronthrae has been fortified by a cyclopean wall, of which many
remnants exist until today.
As it seems, it was very well fortified and its inhabitants were
brave, and for this reason the town could resist for long time
against the Dorian invasion, while the Dorians 80 years almost
after the capture of Troy, under the king Tisamenus, seized
Lacedaemon and founded the Doric Sparta.
For 300 years, and through rude struggles, as we may easily
understand, the Achaeans resisted against the Dorian conquest, I
mean, the Achaean inhabitants of Geronthrae and of two other
illustrious cities of Lacedaemon, Amyclae and Pharis. At the end,
during the year 700 BC under the king of Sparta Teleclus, the
Dorians captured by war these three cities, the last bulwarks of
the Achaeans in Lacedaemon. The inhabitants of Geronthrae and of
Pharis have been expatriated, and Dorians sent there colonisers
of their own.
Dorian and Classic epoch. After the settlement of the
Dorians, and still later the late classical times, the city and
commercial centre. This we presume from the inscriptions of that
period, from the consular decrees, the sculptures which were
found, the architectural pieces and other objects and from the
many highways to all directions. From the pieces of sculpture
beautiful is the relief representing a sorry ephebus. These movable antiquities found and collected by the
ever memorable inhabitant of Geraki and lover of antiquities ,
late George A. Papanicolaou, mayor of Geronthrae for many years,
who with a sacred enthusiasm and zeal devoted himself in the act
of founding, collecting and keeping the antiquities of the place
and provoked their study by the archaeologists, justly been
called hierophylax of Geraki. In Geronthrae existed, as the
traveller ancient writer Pausanias reports, two temples,
dedicated the one to Apollo the captain of Muses, the other to
Mars, the God of War. By this wee presume that its inhabitants
were not only warlike as true Dorians but also lovers of Muses.
The temple of Apollo was situated in the citadel, and there was
in it other time a statue of the god Chryselephantine. The temple
of Mars was situated near the fountain and probably in the place
called Metropolis, were still exist remnants of an old Christian
church, erected probably on the space of the old temple. Around
this temple there was a park, in which every year a feast was
performed, in which no women were allowed to partake, nor to
enter in the park.
Roman epoch. During the Roman times Geronthrae belonged to
the Community of the Free Lacons, t.i. an autonomous confederacy,
consisted by the different cities of Lacedaemon, disjoined from
the sovereignty of Sparta at the year 146 BC Several inscriptions
and consular decrees and remands of an aqueduct and a bath house
are left of this time. During the third and fourth century of our
era the city became an important commercial centre, as it is
presumed from the left remnants and extracts of the decree of the
emperor Diocletian, issued the year 301 ad., by which the
uppermost limit was fixed of the price of market supplies, and a
death penalty was threatened to the violators. The columns of
marble, which contained these extracts, were used as door posts
and layings on the door of the church of Saint John the
Chrysostome (near the fountain), at its
erection.
Byzantine epoch. The city continued to flourish during the
following centuries, reported in the catalogue of the provinces
and cities, composed by Hierocles at the sixth century ad. During
the fifth century a Christian church, basilica, was erected,
whose remnants still exist in the place called
"Metropolis". At this time the cituated was fortified
by new walls, of which certain parts are kept in good condition
until today.
It is probable that certain of today existing churches belong to
the times before the conquest by the Franks, such as the church
of Saint
George in Castle, in the form of
vaulted basilica, the church Theophania in the cross form,
that of the
Annunciation of the Virgin cruciform
monoclite, that in the quarter ofEpano Vryssi that of Saint Nicolas near Pyrgos,
that of Saint
John Chrysostome (click for inside) near the fountain, both of the form of vaulted
basilica. Probably to the same epoch belong still others from
destroyed old churches in the surroundings of the town, of which
only the foundations are found. During this time the new name of
Geraki was introduced or prevailed probably, which name it brings
up to date.
Under the rule of the Franks When after the capture of
Constantinople by the Crusaders, at 1204, the Franks became
rulers of Peloponnesus, divided the country unto twelve great
baronies or provinces. One of these constituted Geraki and its
surrounding, which was given to the French Baron Guy de Nivelet,
who erected there, at 1209, the still existing Castle (Castro). But this place remained in the hands of
Franks only for 50 years, because in the year 1262, the Franks
have been forced to surrender it as well as the fortresses of
Mistra of Monembasia and Maine to the Byzantines, in order to get
the freedom of their chief prince Guillome Villeardouine and of
the other Barons and Knights, who were captured at the battle of
Palagonia (1259).
Later Byzantine Times. After its reconquest by the
Byzantines Geraki noted new period of social and religious
activities, as it seems. We meet there families domiciled in it,
which bring official titles, ecclesiastical and social, or
semi-official names and others bringing the names of illustrious
Lacedaemonian houses. There still exist today about 30 churches
more or less integral, of these 10 in the mediaeval settlement
under Castle and its surroundings. All these churches were
aborned inward with beautiful wall-paintings of which the most
are destroyed long time ago. As it seems the inhabitants of
Geraki, by piety characteristic of that age, erected each on
private churches, which they aborned with good sense with
beautiful images. From old times Geraki was the seat of the
bishop of Helos, which remained until the year 1833, and which
was abolished together with many others, the province being
subdued to the bishopy of Sparta.
Under the rule of the Turks. 200 years after their
reconquest by the Byzantines, t.i. at 1460, Mystra and with it
the rest of Lacedaemon and Geraki (except Monembasia), passed in
the hands of the Turks on the head of which the conqueror Mohamed
was leading personally. Mohammed arrived at Mystra. After three
years, at 1463, the fortress of Geraki passed in the hands of the
Venetian, but it did not remain in their hands but only for five
years, because it was captured by the Turks at 1468.
During this period the pious tradition of former centuries
continued. During this time several little churches were builted
in the town and its surroundings. In the year 1702 the Cathedral of Virgin's
Departure was erected by the care and
partial expenditure of a monk in the Holy Mountain, born in
Geraki. Of the said bishopy of Helos last but one bishop was
Joasaph Gerakos (deceased in 1810) from Geraki. From Geraki came
the neomartyr John who martyred in Larissa at 1773, and whose
memory is celebrated the 21 of October.
PANAGIOTIS POULITSAS
