Rizoma

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rizoma (Greek:Ρίζωμα) is a village in Thessaly and belongs to the prefecture of Trikala. In the 1991 census it reported 1302 residents,a slight decrease from the 1339 inhabitants in 1981. It lies at 160 meters above sea level, 14 km north of the Prefectual capital Trikala. It has an agricultaral economy with tobacco been the main product.

The village is the seat of the Paralithaioi municipality and it is inhabited by Karagounides,the most commonly used name for the residents of the Thessalian plain. According to the legend this name was given to them by Alexander the Great when he passed from the region in 335 BC on his way to Thebes.

During the Byzantine and later the Ottoman period,the village was known by the name Sklataina (Greek:Σκλάταινα).

The most prominent figure that was born there was the priest-monk Saint Theophilus (mid-16th century) who is recorded as the founder of the Saint Stephen Monastery in Meteora.