Chrysovitsi () is a mountain village and a community in the municipal unit of

Falanthos Falanthos () is a former municipality in Arcadia (regional unit), Arcadia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Tripoli, Greece, Tripoli, of which it is a municipal unit. ...

, Arcadia,

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 community includes the village Mantaiika, 5 km southeast of Chrysovitsi. Built on the slopes of Mainalo at 1,100 m, Chrysovitsi is one of the highest villages in the Peloponnese. It is a traditional settlement since November 23, 1998 (Law 908D) and its code number is 12317201. Chrysovitsi is 4 km southwest of Piana, 7 km northeast of Lykochia, 11 km east of Stemnitsa and 15 km northwest of Tripoli. The village’s houses are all on the slope of the mountain. Allowing a great view over the valley, a green pasture – in fact a small

karst Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...

ic plain – kind of a typical arcadian landscape. Forest fires are a permanent threat in the Mainalo mountains.

Population

History

The settlement dates back to the 15th century. Around 1700, it was mentioned as ''Chrissovizzi'' under the Venetian census and later ''Xovitzi'' (Ξοβίτζι). The village was a center of Greek rebellion during the Greek Revolution of 1821. The revolutionary leader

Theodoros Kolokotronis Theodoros Kolokotronis (; 3 April 1770 – ) was a Greek general and the pre-eminent leader of the Greek War of Independence (1821–1829) against the Ottoman Empire. The son of a klepht leader who fought the Ottomans during the Orlov revolt ...

grew up in nearby Limpovisi. In 1935, a lumbermill was built, which was operated until 1972. It is now used as a museum by the Forest Council. In 1997, the formerly independent community joined the municipality of Falanthos.

Song Archives of Sam Chianis, PhD

Noted ethnomusicologist Sam Chianis, PhD (Σωτηριος Τσιανης) made many trips to Greece in his academic career to catalogue recordings of folk songs as sung and played by locals of various regions. His extensive archive include hundreds of songs from Chrysovitsi alone that was amassed from 2 trips: early 1959 (over 400 songs) and summer 1969 (approximately 110 songs). Dr Chianis' music library is considered culturally significant and he has shared his collection for posterity with several institutions including the Academy of Athens.

Chicago Organization

The Chrysovitsi Society of Chicago (officially The Benevolent Society of Saint Mary, Chrysovitsi) was formed in the 1950s and hosts social events including an annual 4 July picnic a northern suburb of Chicago. Funds are raised to benefit philanthropic projects in Chrysovitsi.

References

External links