Ierissos () is a small town on the east coast of the Akti peninsula in

Chalkidiki Chalkidiki (; , alternatively Halkidiki), also known as Chalcidice, is a peninsula and regional unit of Greece, part of the region of Central Macedonia, in the geographic region of Macedonia in Northern Greece. The autonomous Mount Athos reg ...

, Greece. It is located 115 km from

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...

, and 10 km from the border of the Autonomous Monastic State of the Holy Mountain, or

Mount Athos Mount Athos (; ) is a mountain on the Athos peninsula in northeastern Greece directly on the Aegean Sea. It is an important center of Eastern Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodox monasticism. The mountain and most of the Athos peninsula are governed ...

. It is the site of Ancient city and former bishopric Hierissus, and as such remains a Latin Catholic

titular see A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbi ...

. Ferries run from Ierissos to the east coast of Mount Athos. Since the 2011 local government reform Ierissos has been the seat of the municipality of

Aristotelis Aristotle (; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, a ...

, and of the municipal unit of Stagira-Akanthos.

Names

The name of Ierissos is derived from the Latin ''Ericius'', a translation of Akanthos, the name of the ancient city (also Latinized as Acanthus) located on a ridge bordering the southeast side of the town, from it.

History

Akanthos, near mount Athos, was an Ancient Greek city in the

Roman province The Roman provinces (, pl. ) were the administrative regions of Ancient Rome outside Roman Italy that were controlled by the Romans under the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Each province was ruled by a Roman appointed as Roman g ...

of Macedonia Prima (

civil diocese In the Late Roman Empire, usually dated 284 AD to 641 AD, the regional governance district known as the Roman or civil diocese was made up of a grouping of provinces each headed by a '' Vicarius'', who were the representatives of praet ...

Macedonia Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...

)) During the Byzantine era Erissos was the seat of a

bishopric In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

, evidenced from 883 (see below). From the 10th century onwards, the town's history is indissolubly linked with that of

. In 942 there were disputes between Ierissos and the monks of Mount Athos over the borders between Ierissos and the monastic community's lands and, the following year, the differences were settled in person by a large commission of major politicians and church officials. In the summer of 1425, Ierissos came into the hands of the Turks. During that time the Venetians, starting from

Cassandreia Cassandreia or Cassandrea (, ''Kassándreia'') was once one of the most important cities in Ancient Macedonia, founded by and named after Cassander in 316 BC. It was located on the site of the earlier Ancient Greek city of Potidaea, at the isth ...

, landed on the coastline of Ierissos, burnt down the settlement (by then only a large village) and its surroundings and (on departure) set alight the castle and five towers. Under Ottoman rule, Ierissos was one of the privileged Mademochoria. In 1821 Ierissos took part in the

Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. In 1826, the Greeks were assisted ...

and during the repression the village was burnt down by the Turks and a large number of residents killed. In 1932 the village was destroyed by a powerful earthquake, with 121 people killed and approximately 500 injured. After the earthquake the new Ierissos was built in its current position, a little north west of the ancient city.Pavlides, S. B.; Tranos,M. D.: ''Structural characteristics of two strong earthquakes in the North Aegean: Ierissos (1932) and Agios Efstratios (1968).'' Journal of Structural Geology, Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 205 to 214, 1991.

Ecclesiastical history

The bishopric was a

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Catholic Church, a suffragan bishop leads a diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the principal diocese, the metropolitan archdiocese; the diocese led ...

of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Thessalonica, in the sway of the

Patriarchate of Constantinople The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (, ; ; , "Roman Orthodox Patriarchate, Ecumenical Patriarchate of Istanbul") is one of the fifteen to seventeen autocephalous churches that together compose the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is headed ...

. Its only historically documented bishop was Elia, flourishing in 1054, known from a seal.Vitalien Laurent, ''Le corpus des sceaux de l'empire Byzantin'', vol. V/1, Paris 1963, nº 471.

Titular see

The diocese was nominally restored in 1927 as Latin Catholic

Titular bishopric A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbish ...

of Hierisus (Latin) / Geriso (Curiate Italian; ). It was renamed in 1929 Hierissus (Latin) / Geriso (dropped in 1933) or Gerisso (Italian) / Hierissen(sis) (Latin adjective). It is vacant, having had the following incumbents, so far of the fitting Episcopal (lowest) rank: * Giuseppe Antonio Caruso (1928.07.06 – death 1930.01.03) as emeritate; previously Bishop of Cariati (Italy) (1919.03.10 – 1927.08.26), Bishop of Oppido Mamertina (Italy) (1927.08.26 – 1928.07.06) * Teodoro Eugenín Barrientos, Picpus Fathers (SS.CC.) (1931.04.10 – death 1974.12.24), first as

Apostolic Administrator An apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

of the then 'permanent' Apostolic Administration of Valdivia (

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

, now a diocese) (1931.04.10 – 1942.06.20), then as Military Vicar of

(Chile) (1942.06.20 – retired 1959.12.21) and on emeritate.

References

Bibliography

* Michel Lequien, ''Oriens christianus in quatuor Patriarchatus digestus'', Paris 1740, vol; II, coll. 99-102 * Konrad Eubel, ''Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi'', vol. 5, p. 66; vol. 6, p. 62; vol. 7, p. 56; vol. 8, p. 71

External links

Local government website (English)Official web site of Ierissos city (Greek)

{{Authority control Populated places in Chalkidiki Aristotelis (municipality)