Agioi Anargyroi, Laconia

Agioi Anargyroi
Αγίων Αναργύρων
Settlement
Agioi Anargyroi is located in Greece
Agioi Anargyroi
Agioi Anargyroi
Location within Greece
Coordinates: 37°01′30″N 22°37′19″E / 37.025°N 22.622°E / 37.025; 22.622
CountryGreece
Administrative regionPeloponnese
Regional unitLaconia
MunicipalitySparta
Elevation
320 m (1,050 ft)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)

Agioi Anargyroi (Greek: Άγιοι Ανάργυροι,[1] Αγίων Αναργύρων, or Αγίους Αναργύρους[2]), also known as Agii Anargiri and previously known as Zoupena, is a village in the foothills of the Parnon mountain range of Laconia, Greece in the province of Lakedaimon. The village is located with municipal unit of Therapnes, a subdivision of the Sparta municipality. Its elevation is at 320 m (1,050 ft).[3][4] It is accessible along the Epar.Od. Spartis-Agiou Dimitriou road.[1][5]

History

Agioi Anargyroi and neighboring villages, such as Gkoritsa, were formed by a migration of the Tsintzinians into the Lakonia Plains beginning in the late 1700s. The Tsintzinians were from the settlement of Tsintzina. Tsintzinians acquired Agioi Anargyroi's Ottoman-occupied farmland after Greece gained domestic sovereignty as a result of the Greek War of Independence (1821–1829). According to Nikos L. Andritsakis's collection of accounts (many published in the Ta Tsintzina newspaper), wealthy and esteemed families obtained a large portion of the fertile and desirable land while poorer families acquired inferior land. Agioi Anargyroi's predated the establishment of Goritsa by 50 years. Both villages grew largely as a result of olive production and pressing in the 1900s.[6][7][8]

On June 5 of 1944, during the Feast of the Holy Spirit, Nazi occupation troops passed through Agioi Anargyroi (then named Zoupena) coming back from liquidations operation in region. While leaving the village, one of the Nazi soldiers was shot and injured. Afterwards, they created fire and killed villagers. The Γεωργίου Αθ. Κωστιάνη (English: Georgiou Ath. Kostiani)'s testimony reports there was 22 victims buried in a mass grave. ΑΡΧΕΙΟΝ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΣΜΟΥ (English: Culture Archive) claims there is an "unverified number of victims, others say 24 others 27." The names of 21 victims have been identified.[2][9][10][11]

Originally called Zoupena (Ζούπενα) or Zoupainia (Ζούπαινα), it was renamed from Zoupena to Agioi Anargyroi[4][12] on September 20, 1955.[5] The name change was a part of a broader movement in Greece to replace place names (see Geographical name changes in Greece) with ones that reflected Greek identity.[13]

Wildfires

In late August to early September 2007, fire spread across the Tsintzina region. In Agioi Anargyroi, the fire damaged 4201 acres (1700 ha) of grazing fields, 741 acres (300 ha) of olive grove,[Note 1] 180 beehives, 15 stables, 10 storage houses, and 4 houses. Agioi Anargyroi lost 54% of its olive grove area to the fire. The damage inflicted by this wildfire is attributed to strong winds, inadequate aerial support early on, and an insufficient fire brigade.[14]

Demographics

Agioi Anargyroi's population has been declined since at least 1981.

Historic Population
Year Population
1981515
1991510[3][4]
2001468[15]
2011355[16]
2021313[17]

Points of interest

The oldest monastery in Laconia,[18][19][20] Cemetery (Νεκροταφείο), Barbecue restaurant (Ταβέρνα Μάζης Σαράντος), Mechanic Workshop (Μηχανουργείο Μπενέκος), Plaza/Park (Πλατεια), Church of Saint Demetrius of Thessalonica (Άγιος Δημήτριος), Church of Saint Nicholas Church (Ιερός Ναός Αγίου Νικολάου), and Athletic Field (Γήπεδο Αγίων Αναργύρων).[1]

Notes

  1. ↑ Source reports area damaged in square meters. Values are conversions of square meters to acres and hectares rounded to nearest whole number.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Agioi Anargyroi, Laconia, Greece". Google Maps. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Αλησμόνητη η οδύνη της Ζούπενας από το ματωμένο '44". lakonikos.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 2026-05-30.
  3. 1 2 "ΑΓΙΟΙ ΑΝΑΡΓΥΡΟΙ, Χωριό, ΘΕΡΑΠΝΕΣ" [AGIOI ANARGYROI, Chorio, THERAPNES]. Greek Travel Pages (in Greek). Retrieved 24 May 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. 1 2 3 "Agii Anargyri, Laconia". Greece.com. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  5. 1 2 "Zoupena -- Agioi Anargyroi". Pandektis – Digital Thesaurus of Primary Sources for Greek History and Culture. National Hellenic Research Foundation (EKT). Retrieved 25 October 2025.
  6. ↑ Andritsakis, Dimitri H. (1 July 2011). "History of Goritsa". Tsintzina.com. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
  7. ↑ "NOTES ON THE HISTORY OF TSINTZINA". Tsintzina.com. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  8. ↑ "MYTH, FACT AND ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE IN TSINTZINA HISTORY". Tsintzina.com. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
  9. ↑ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΣΜΟΥ, ΑΡΧΕΙΟΝ (2024-08-26). "Το ναζιστικό Ολοκαύτωμα των Γερμανών στο χωριό Άγιοι Ανάργυροι Λακωνίας - Αρχείον Πολιτισμού" [The Nazi Holocaust of the Germans in the village of Agioi Anargyroi, Laconia] (in Greek). Retrieved 2026-05-31.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ↑ "Εκδηλώσεις Μνήμης για το Ολοκαύτωμα των Αγίων Αναργύρων (Ζούπενα) την Κυριακή 8 Ιουνίου" [Commemoration Events for the Holocaust of Agioi Anargyro (Zoupena) on Sunday, June 8]. Ειδήσεις και τοπικά νέα Λακωνίας και Πελοποννήσου. 6 Jun 2025. Retrieved 30 May 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ↑ Ζορμπαλάς, Σταύρος (2025-06-03). "Άγιοι Ανάργυροι Λακωνίας: Θα τιμηθεί η μνήμη εκείνων που έπεσαν θύματα της ναζιστικής θηριωδίας" [Agioi Anargyroi Laconia: The memory of those who fell victim to the Nazi atrocity will be honored]. ertnews.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 2026-05-31.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ↑ "Therapnes". Hellenica World. Retrieved 29 May 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ↑ Kyramargiou, Eleni; Papakondylis, Yannis; Scalora, Fransesco; Dimitropoulos, Dimitris (2021). "Changing the Map in Greece and Italy: Place-name Changes in the Nineteenth Century". The Historical Review / La Revue Historique. 17: 205–250. doi:10.12681/hr.27072. hdl:11577/3390810. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  14. ↑ "Fires/Reforestation Information". Tsintzina.com. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  15. ↑ ΠΡΑΓΜΑΤΙΚΟΣ ΠΛΗΘΥΣΜΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ [De Facto Population of Greece] (PDF). eetaa.gr (Report). Athens: National Statistical Service of Greece. 2003. p. 158. ISSN 1106-1499. Retrieved 24 May 2026.{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ↑ ΕΦΗΜΕΡΙΣ ΤΗΣ ΚΥΒΕΡΝΗΣΕΩΣ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗΣ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑΣ (Issue 2, Sheet No. 698) [Government Gazette of the Hellenic Republic] (PDF). Hellenic Statistical Authority (Report) (2nd ed.). Greece. 20 March 2014. p. 303. Retrieved 24 May 2026.{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. ↑ ΕΦΗΜΕΡΙΣ ΤΗΣ ΚΥΒΕΡΝΗΣΕΩΣ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗΣ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑΣ (Issue 2, Sheet No. 2090) [Government Gazette of the Hellenic Republic] (PDF). Hellenic Statistical Authority (Report) (2nd ed.). Greece. 7 April 2024. p. 321. Retrieved 24 May 2026.{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. ↑ "Αγίων Αναργύρων: Το αρχαιότερο μοναστήρι της Λακωνίας". ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑ ONLINE (in Greek). 2019-06-27. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
  19. ↑ Βλάχου, Ελένη (2026-02-23). "Άγιοι Ανάργυροι Πάρνωνος: Το αρχαιότερο μοναστήρι της Λακωνίας στην υπηρεσία της ορθοδοξίας για 1.100 χρόνια". Notospress.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 2026-05-31.
  20. ↑ "ΜΟΝΗ ΑΓΙΩΝ ΑΝΑΡΓΥΡΩΝ ΠΑΡΝΩΝΑ | Λακωνία | Πελοπόννησος | Golden Greece". golden-greece.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 2026-05-31.
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