Myrsini

Myrsini (Greek: Μυρσίνη) is a town in the Elis Prefecture in Greece, part of the municipal unit of Lechaina since 1997. As of 2001, it has a population of around 1,200.

Location

The town of Myrsini lies in a flat coastal plain that stretches from Amaliada to Kato Achaia, some 3 km northwest of Andravida.

History

Myrsini is named after the ancient city of Myrsinos or Myrtountion, named in Homer's Iliad and in the work of the geographer Strabo (Geographica V), which was located in the area. According to Homer, Myrsinos took part in the Trojan War together with all of the Eleans (Iliad II.616).

During the Byzantine Empire, a village named Agios Nikolaos (St Nicholas) was located in the area. Only part of its church altar survives today. In the 16th century, the inhabitants moved further inland to escape corsair raids and founded the present village. During the Ottoman era, the village was named Suleymanaga (Σουλεϊμάναγα), from a local Ottoman governor named Suleyman Agha.

Along with the rest of the Peloponnese, the village was conquered in 1685 by the Republic of Venice during the Morean War, but was recovered by the Ottomans in 1715. It became a part of Greece after the Greek War of Independence, and was renamed to its present name in 1915.

Population

References

External links

• GTP - Myrsíni