Androusa () is a village and a former

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Messenia Messenia or Messinia ( ; ) is a regional unit (''perifereiaki enotita'') in the southwestern part of the Peloponnese region, in Greece. Until the implementation of the Kallikratis plan on 1 January 2011, Messenia was a prefecture (''nomos' ...

Peloponnese The Peloponnese ( ), Peloponnesus ( ; , ) or Morea (; ) is a peninsula and geographic region in Southern Greece, and the southernmost region of the Balkans. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridg ...

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 ...

. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality

Messini Messini (, before 1867: Νησί ''Nisi'') is a municipal unit (''dimotiki enotita'') and the seat town (''edra'') of the municipality (''dimos'') of Messini within the regional unit (''perifereiaki enotita'') of Messenia in the region (''perifere ...

, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 50.514 km². Predominantly a farming region, the principal exports include kalamata olives, olive oil, and livestock. It is located 22 km north-west of the regional capital

Kalamata Kalamata ( ) is the second most populous city of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece after Patras, and the largest city of the Peloponnese (region), homonymous administrative region. As the capital and chief port of the Messenia regiona ...

. Municipal unit population 1,800 (2021), village population 522 (2021).

History

Androusa is recorded as being founded by

William II of Villehardouin William of Villehardouin (; Kalamata, 1211 – 1 May 1278) was the fourth prince of Achaea in Frankish Greece, from 1246 to 1278. The younger son of Prince Geoffrey I, he held the Barony of Kalamata in fief during the reign of his ...

during the mid 13th century. This was the same period as when the Androusa fortress/castle is thought to have been built, of which city walls and partially ruined towers remain on the village's eastern perimeter overlooking the

Pamisos River The Pamisos (, ) is the largest river of the Messenia regional unit of the southern Peloponnese in Greece. It is long, and its drainage area is . Its source is on the western slopes of the Taygetus mountains,Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

) construction due to certain design elements of the fortress walls. Later in the 14th century, Androusa developed into an important religions seat, becoming the base of the Episcopal with the Decree of Patriarch Athanasios (1304-1310) who was from the village. After recapture by the Byzantines, it later became part of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

as with the majority of the Peloponnese 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 ...

, and largely remained this way until liberation 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 ...

. More recently, Androusa has become a regional agricultural center for the area where olives, olive oil, figs, raisins, and wine are produced, sold, and exported. A number of historic constructions and locations in and around Androusa still contain evidence of its Byzantine past: * Ruins of a medieval castle fortification (formerly known as the Castle of Druges): commenced by William II of Villehardouin or the Byzantines around the 13th century, of which the outside fortification enclosure and several ruined turret towers remain. Traces of marble constructions dating to the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

, post-Roman, or

Latin Empire The Latin Empire, also referred to as the Latin Empire of Constantinople, was a feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. The Latin Empire was intended to replace the Byzantin ...

era are also revealed on the inner part of the fortification. * The Monastery of Saint George Isodomous: dating back to around the 11th century, this modest construction is possibly the best preserved Byzantine-era building within the village. Some roof restoration work has been completed in recent years; * The Church of Saint Samarina: dating back to the 11th and 12th centuries, another modest construction among the most significant Byzantine constructions in the area as it is well preserved and showcases multiple well known Byzantine architectural elements (3 km north); * The abandoned monastery of Andronikos (a Byzantine emperor) in Maganiako, 10 km north-west.

References

Populated places in Messenia Messini {{Peloponnese-geo-stub