Psachna ( el, Ψαχνά) is a small Greek town in

Euboea Evia (, ; el, Εύβοια ; grc, Εὔβοια ) or Euboia (, ) is the second-largest Greek island in area and population, after Crete. It is separated from Boeotia in mainland Greece by the narrow Euripus Strait (only at its narrowest ...

, 16 km north of

Chalcis Chalcis ( ; Ancient Greek & Katharevousa: , ) or Chalkida, also spelled Halkida ( Modern Greek: , ), is the chief town of the island of Euboea or Evia in Greece, situated on the Euripus Strait at its narrowest point. The name is preserved f ...

. It is built in a small plain in the central-west part of the island. Psachna is the seat of Dirfys-Messapia municipality and the seat of Messapia regional unit. The town is also known for the Psachna campus of

National and Kapodistrian University of Athens The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA; el, Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών, ''Ethnikó ke Kapodistriakó Panepistímio Athinón''), usually referred to simply as the Univers ...

and the football team

Iraklis Psachna Iraklis Psachna Football Club is a Greek football club, based in Psachna, Euboea. History In 2009–10, Psachna earned promotion to the third tier of Greek football, Football League 2, for the first time in club history, as champions of Delta Et ...

. Its population is 5,827 residents according to 2011 census.

History

The settlement of Psachna was built by refugees after the sack of Chalcis in 1470 during the First Ottoman–Venetian War. During the Ottoman occupation, it was a small village with few houses. After Greek independence, refugees from

Samos Samos (, also ; el, Σάμος ) is a Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese, and off the coast of western Turkey, from which it is separated by the -wide Mycale Strait. It is also a sepa ...

were installed in Psachna, leading to the naming of a district of Psachna as "Samiotika". The population of Psachna was increased in the last century when residents of the more mountainous villages such as Pyxaria, Vavoula, Apogremno moved in. In August 2020, the town and the region was badly hit from catastrophic floods that resulted in 6 deaths.

Historical population

Description

The

has a campus in Psachna. There are three monasteries near Psachna: Saint John Kalyvitis, Panagia Makrymallis and Panagia Gorgoepikoos. The first two were built during the Byzantine period, destroyed later and rebuilt. The third monastery was built after 1960. Psachna has also the best medical facilities in the area.

References

{{Dirfys-Messapia div Populated places in Euboea