Kefalovryso, Messinia

Greece Greece

Administrative Region : Peloponnese
Regional unit : Messinia

Kefalovryso (Κεφαλόβρυσο) Messinia

Kefalovryso (old name Halvatsos) is a village in the prefecture of Messinia of the Municipality of Messina. It is located at the northernmost to the western end of the central part of the Prefecture of Messinia (Messinia province), on the border with the province of Trifylia. Together with the settlement of Koulkada, located two kilometers west, it was a special community from 1912 to 1997, initially under the name "Community of Halvatsos" and from 1956 "Community of Kefalovryso".

Geography

Kefalovryso is rooted on two mountain slopes, which belong to the extreme to the south branches of the mountains of Kyparissia. It has an average weight of 600 meters and the settlement of Koulkada 640 meters. It is also located on the right side of the provincial road Messina - Aristomeni - Kyparissia (provincial road 8 prefecture of Messinia), the construction of which remains unfinished to this day. It is 43 km from Kalamata, 33 km from Messina and 10 km from Aristomenis.

The agricultural area of Kefalovryso is 13 sq.km. (13,054 acres). According to an official 1981 topographic survey, this area is covered in detail as follows [1]:

3,000 acres of cultivated land
5,500 acres of pastures
4,000 acres of forest land and
500 acres of houses, roads, rocks, water, etc.

Today, the topographic picture is completely different, as forest area and pastures are constantly increasing at the expense of cultivated areas, as a result of declining population and labor.

History

The oldest surviving documents in the Community archives are three reports defining the boundaries of the village. The first of these is dated July 29, 1914 and regulates the boundaries of the Community of Halvatsos with the Community of Kalogeresi. The second one is dated June 11, 1916 and with it the previous report of July 29, 1914 is reformed. Kastraki - Kalogria - Agios Ilias - Katsoura ". The third document is dated July 8, 1931 and defines the boundaries of the Community of Halvatsos with the Community of Voutaina. No other document from the years before 1950 was saved, and all documents, both Community and primary school, were lost or destroyed during the Occupation and Civil War.

The old name of the settlement was Halvatson. It was renamed Kefalovryson on May 18, 1956, according to the Government Gazette 125/1956. After the enactment of law 2593 / 4-12-97 (Government Gazette no. 244, 1997), known as Ioannis Kapodistrias, the Community of Kefalovryso was abolished and subordinated to the reconstituted Municipality of Aristomenous. After the enactment of law 3852 / 7-6-10 (Government Gazette 87 / t.A '/ 2010), known as the Kallikratis Program, the Municipality of Aristomenous was merged into the Municipality of Messina.

According to the census of the Ministry of Interior, the population of Kefalovryso had the following course:
Year 1829 [2] 1879 1889 1896 1907 1920 1928 1881 1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 1991 2001 2011
Approx. 150 339 389 438 570 581 551 628 [3] 431 367 260 173 129 141 98
Description of the location

The exact borders of Kefalovryso with the neighboring Communities are as follows: to the north they reach the line: Ai-Lias - Kitsou the mantria (Koutsoura) - Koprisia. East to the imaginary line: Palouka the stone (or Palouka the mantria) - Mousga - Spanou the lakka - Ai-Tharapos - Tsoukalaika - Xinou the lazo - Fotaika alonia - Lakkes - Andrea the cistern - Kotronaki (Gaidouria) - Konto -Stefanos - Koroni the Houni - Megali Lakka - Fterolakka - Skalitsa (Toumpa).

Descending further south and passing higher than the place "Boufou the stream" (Polainian side) the boundaries of the village with Polaina and Kato Voutaina reach the line: Pass the stone - Ai-Lias - Diakoniaraki the cistern - Voutainaiko bridge. To the west, the border is the river that descends from Koulkada and Makraina and from N to B the borders reach the positions: Vartigou - Neraidotroupa - Xylokastro - Kamaraki. The old borders ran along the river and reached higher than Patima, on the Katowoutaina mountain. The whole hill of Kostriava was full of Halvatsaika fields, which slowly passed into the hands of the Voutainai. Some were sold and others were given as a dowry to Halvatsaissa brides. Thus, in the years when Alexios F. Panagiotopoulos was the president of the Community, the borders of the village with the Community of Voutaina descended further south from Kostriava, to the river and Vartigou.
If we include the Koulkada area, then we follow from S to N the imaginary line: Kamaraki - Maggania - Cheroulakia and we reach the saddle of Skoulari, a border with the villages of Trifylia. From there, if we cross an imaginary line lower than Koulkadovouni (Streams), Stavros and from there to Paraskevi the fountain, to Kastraki, Kalogria and Ai-Lias, we have completed the circular tour of the borders of Kefalovryso. In the past, of course, the borders in the area of Koulkada reached the top of Koulkadovouni. They went down to Remata (Petropigada), when Panagiotis Dion. Alexopoulos was the president of the village, in 1914.

The village was built in a windless and barren place, with rich waters, with soil suitable for grazing and cultivation, with great ignorance and view and mainly far from the lowland settlement centers of the conquerors. That is, a place that, in addition to the right environment, provided the necessary living conditions and offered protection, security and relative freedom during the periods of conquest by foreign peoples.

References

Encyclopedia Hydria, volume 32. 1984. p. 351.
Bory de Saint-Vincent, Expédition Scientifique de Morée; Section des Sciences Physiques, tome II, 1re partie: Géographie (Paris: Levrault, 1834), 64

Together with the settlement of Koulkada.

Sources

Excerpt from the book To Kefalovryso-Halvatsou Messinia, by Dim. Greg. Mougou

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