Katouna, Aitoloakarnania

Katouna (Κατούνα) Aitoloakarnania

Katouna is a town in the northwestern part of the Prefecture of Aitoloakarnania, 42.9 km from Agrinio. It is built amphitheatrically on a hill, between the Akarnanian mountains (peak Perganti altitude 1,423 m) and the mountain range of Belaora. It has narrow streets and traditional architecture, with the houses being mostly stone-built, two-storied and with tiled roofs. Its main occupations are agriculture and animal husbandry.

About a kilometer south of today's town, on the hill where the small church of Prophet Elias is built, the ruins of the ancient Akarnanian city of Medea, Acarnania, have been located.

The word katouna means tent, awning and comes from the verb katounuevo, camping.
Metaphorically, it means "home community", a term used for the Balkan type of the multinuclear family, known as zadruga. [1] [Note. 1] [Par. Note 1]

Geographical location - Location

Katouna is located in the northern part of Western Etoloakarnania. It is:

32.2 km from Vonitsa, the capital of the municipality
82 km (via Samari) and 106 km (via Astakos) and 89 km (via Fytia) from Messolonghi, the capital of the prefecture
20.5 km from Amfilochia
307 km from Athens

The village is built in a semi-mountainous location and overlooks the lake of Amvrakia and the mountain range of Petala to the southeast, the mountain range of Velaora to the east and the Akarnanian mountains to the west.

It borders the villages of Tryfos, Kompoti, Aetos, Agios Nikolaos, Konopina.

Sights

The Holy Temple of Agios Athanasios in the town square. Among the relics of the Temple with historical value are: the Epitaph of Agios Athanasios and an icon painted with retsina.
Dasyllio of the town, at the top of the hill.
The Katouna Folklore Museum in the town square.
The coastal settlement of Loutraki, 11 km northeast of Katouna, on the shores of the Amvrakikos Gulf.
Lake Amvrakia in the southeast of Katouna, which belongs to the Natura 2000 network.
The river of Nissa northwest of Katouna, which starts from the Akarnanian mountains and flows into the Amvrakikos gulf. The best way to get to know the river is to walk on the formed path, which allows you to move for 1-2 hours along the river. The walker can enjoy the view from various points with the ruined watermills and waterfalls. At one point along the way, at the "Kambos" site, there is a stone single-arched bridge built around 1830.
Ancient Medea, a city of Acarnania, the remains of which are preserved but are not unproven unfortunately. Birthplace of Philip of Acarnania [2], physician of Alexander the Great.

Administrative development

During the establishment of the modern Greek state, Katouna was part of the municipality of Echinos, based in Katouna (1836 to 1912), which belonged to the province of Xiromeros, in the prefecture of Aetolia and Acarnania.

In 1912, with the law "On Municipalities and Communities", it was recognized, for the first time, as an autonomous community of the Prefecture of Aetolia and Acarnania, as it met both conditions, ie it had a population of over 300 inhabitants and had an elementary school. [3]

Since 1986, Katouna together with the settlements of Agios Nikolaos, Achira, Loutraki created the Municipality of Katouna. [3]

From 1999 to 2010, with the Kapodistrias Program, Katouna was the seat of the Municipality of Medeon.

From January 1, 2011 with the Kallikratis Program, it is administratively subordinated to the Municipality of Aktio - Vonitsa.
Population development

Course of the official population of Katouna
Year 1920 1928 1940 1970 1981 1991 2001 2001 2011
Population 2,018 2,727 3,167 3,500 3,157 2,612 2,331 1,677

Economy

The main occupations of the inhabitants of Katouna are:

the Agriculture

Katouna's agricultural production includes cheeses and fresh milk, olives and olive oil, citrus fruits, vegetables, wine from small producers, vines, cereals and corn, clover. In the past, there was a significant (for local data) tobacco production (bag variety). The quality of the tobacco was excellent, due to the mountainous terrain and climate, and in fact the tobacco of Katouna was considered one of the best in world production and had often won first prizes at the Thessaloniki International Fair - "Katouna tobacco".

livestock

Katouna's livestock production includes sheep, goat and pig breeding units.

Religion
Churches

The church of Katouna, in the main square, is the Holy Temple of Agios Athanasios. It celebrates on January 18. The church of Agia Paraskevi, located in the settlement of Katomerisia, celebrates on July 26. The parish of Katouna belongs to the Hierarchical Region of Katouna, the Holy Metropolis of Aetolia and Acarnania.

Chapels

The Holy Monastery of Panagia Deftera Katounas
Saint Demetrius
The Prophet Elijah
Saint George-Velaora
Major Brigadiers
Agia Paraskevi Boyko or Logkou
Saint Nektarios - Saint Cosmas of Aetolia
The Monastery of Agios Nikolaos
Saint Procopius
Agios Spyridon in Loutraki

External links

Website for Katouna
Katouna news

Notes

By "home community" we mean a group that is quite self-sufficient and autonomous from other similar ones. However, we are not clear if we mean the type of family that we usually encounter in stockbreeders or farmers, where the independent settlement corresponds to a smaller or larger settlement group, ie the simple "katouna". Such types of families, where the home unit corresponds to the home community and the katouna, do indeed meet in Greece, but that does not mean that they are always multinational. In contrast, multi-core families can exist in organized villages and towns. So these are similar things.

Note references

{Λεξ Alexakis, E. (2004), “Looking for family structures in modern Greece. The case of the polypyrine family ", Yearbook of the Research Center of Greek Folklore, vol. 29-30 (1999-2003): 35-60 (www.kentrolaografias.gr/filew/pdf/epethrides/ep_29_30w.pdf)}}

References

Alexakis, E. (2004), “Looking for family structures in modern Greece. The case of the polypyrine family ", Yearbook of the Research Center of Greek Folklore, vol. 29-30 (1999-2003): 35-60 (www.kentrolaografias.gr/filew/pdf/epethrides/ep_29_30w.pdf)
"Philip Acarnan, the doctor of Alexander the Great from Katouna." Xiromeronews - Dry News. August 28, 2018. Retrieved September 30, 2019.

"EETAA-Hellenic Society of Local Development and Local Government SA". www.eetaa.gr. Retrieved December 13, 2017.

Sources

Bibliography

Mitsis Theod. Nikolaos "Katouna Xiromerou", Published by the Municipality of Katouna, 1990
D. K. Samsaris, Aktia Nikopoli and its "country" (Southern Epirus-Acarnania). Historical-geographical and epigraphic contribution, Thessaloniki 1994 p. 127
Panteli P. Fakou "Meet Xiromero", Athens 1978
Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Public Works "Guide to Kilometer Distances of the country's road network", Athens June 2006
Hellenic Statistical Authority, Population Census 2001

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