Menoikio (, also known to the local populations as "Bozdakas" and "Bozdas", Greek corruptions of the Turkish name "Boz Dag", which was applied to the mountain by the

Turks Turk or Turks may refer to: Communities and ethnic groups * Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation * Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Turkey * Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic lang ...

in Ottoman time, , ''Zmiynitsa'') is a mountain range in the eastern

Serres Serres ( ) is a city in Macedonia, Greece, capital of the Serres regional unit and second largest city in the region of Central Macedonia, after Thessaloniki. Serres is one of the administrative and economic centers of Northern Greece. The c ...

and western

Drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

regional units of eastern

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 ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. The highest peak of the mountain is Mavromata at 1,963 m.

Geography

To the west, it is connected with the Vrontous mountain range and to the north via the Mavro Vouno mountain to Orvilos. Menoikio is mostly composed of

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

and is almost entirely

deforested Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...

. The nearest significant settlements are

Nea Zichni Nea Zichni () is a municipality in the Serres regional unit, of Central Macedonia region, Greece. Population 8,267 (2021). Nea Zichni is also the name of the administrative seat of the municipality, population 1,547 (2021). History The city was ...

Emmanouil Pappas Emmanouel Pappas (; 1772 – 5 December 1821) was a prominent member of Filiki Eteria and leader of the Greek War of Independence in Macedonia. Biography Emmanouil Pappas was born in Dovista, a village which is now named after him. Son of a p ...

and

Agio Pnevma Agio Pnevma (Greek: Άγιο Πνεύμα) is a village and a former community in Serres regional unit of Central Macedonia, Greece located 12 km east of the city of Serres, on the southwestern mountain slopes of Menoikio (altitude 310 m). Since ...

to the south and

Alistrati Alistrati (Greek: Αλιστράτη) is a small town in Serres, situated at the borders of the regional unit of Drama and regional unit of Serres, in the Macedonia region of Greece. It has approximately 2,300 inhabitants, a town hall and a visi ...

and Mikropoli to the west and north. Otherwise the mountain is among the least populated in the Balkans.

History

On the mountain is testified the existence, in the Roman (imperial) times, of marble quarries and iron mines. A notable landmark of the mountain is the Byzantine monastery of

John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...

(founded in 1270), 8 km to the north of the city of Serres.

Gennadius Gennadius or Gennadios may refer to: People * Gennadius of Constantinople (died 471), Patriarch of Constantinople from 458 to 471 * Gennadius of Massilia (5th century) Roman historian, best known for his work ''De Viris Illustribus'' * Gennadius (m ...

, the first

Ecumenical Patriarch The ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople () is the archbishop of Constantinople and (first among equals) among the heads of the several autocephalous churches that comprise the Eastern Orthodox Church. The ecumenical patriarch is regarded as ...

after the

Fall of Constantinople The Fall of Constantinople, also known as the Conquest of Constantinople, was the capture of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire. The city was captured on 29 May 1453 as part of the culmination of a 55-da ...

, after his resignation in 1465 lived as monk in the monastery, ended his days and was buried there in 1473. His relics were exhumed in 1854 and the following epigram was erected in the place where his grave stood:

References

External links

Orvilos - Menoikio - Vrontou (Lailias) terrain map
by Geopsis {{CentralMacedonia-geo-stub Landforms of Drama (regional unit) Landforms of Serres (regional unit) Mountain ranges of Greece Geography of Macedonia (region) Landforms of Central Macedonia Landforms of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Rhodope mountain range

Geography

History

See also

References

External links