Sapientza or Sapienza ( el, Σαπιέντζα)
Σαπιέντζα is a
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
island off the southern coast of the
Peloponnese
The Peloponnese (), Peloponnesus (; el, Πελοπόννησος, Pelopónnēsos,(), or Morea is a peninsula and geographic region in southern Greece. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridge whi ...
, near the city of
Methóni. It is administratively part of the
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 ...
of
Pylos-Nestor, in
Messenia
Messenia or Messinia ( ; el, Μεσσηνία ) 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 ...
. The 2011 census reported a population of two inhabitants. Sapientza is the second largest island of the
Messenian Oinousses
Messenian Oinousses ( el, Μεσσηνιακές Οινούσσες ''Messiniakés Inoússes'') is a Greek island complex in the southwest coasts of Peloponnese, in Ionian Sea. It is located in the south of Messenian peninsula, opposite Methoni an ...
, a small group island which consists of three small islands (
Schiza, Sapientza and Agia Marina). Its name is of Italian origin and means wisdom. The
Calypso Deep, the deepest point of the
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...
at , is located south-west of Sapientza.
Description
The island has seen many shipwrecks because it is located over the main sea route between Italy and the Middle East. Some of the wrecks carried important cargo, such as a Toman wreck that carried granite columns from the peristyle of
Herod's temple in
Caesarea Maritima
Caesarea Maritima (; Greek: ''Parálios Kaisáreia''), formerly Strato's Tower, also known as Caesarea Palestinae, was an ancient city in the Sharon plain on the coast of the Mediterranean, now in ruins and included in an Israeli national par ...
.
In the south of the island there is an important lighthouse built in 1885. Its height is 8 meters.
Sapientza has lush vegetation with dense shrubland and perennial
hollies,
arbutus and other Mediterranean plants.
It is the only place in the world where the
arbutus turn into trees, as they have also formed an entire forest known as ' Kumarodasos' which extends over 240 acres.
For this reason, Sapientza and the other Messenian Oinousses have been included in the
Natura 2000
Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectiv ...
Network, with code GR2550003.
History
Sapientza is known for the Treaty of Sapienza in 1209, between the Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia ...
and the Principality of Achaea
The Principality of Achaea () or Principality of Morea was one of the three vassal states of the Latin Empire, which replaced the Byzantine Empire after the capture of Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade. It became a vassal of the Kingdo ...
. With this treaty Methoni and Corone remained under Venetian rule and the remainder of the Peloponnese was ceded to Villehardouin Villehardouin was a noble dynasty that originated in Villehardouin, a former commune of the Aube department, now part of Val-d'Auzon, France. It is most notable as the ruling house of the Principality of Achaea, a Frankish crusader state in the Pe ...
. In 1354, the Venetian and Genoese fleets fought the Battle of Sapienza.
After 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. The Greeks were later assisted ...
, Sapienza became a part of the Greek state. Nevertheless, the British claimed Sapienza during the Pacifico case, as part of the United States of the Ionian Islands.
References
{{Authority control
Islands of Greece
Landforms of Messenia
Islands of Peloponnese (region)