Parparia, Chios

Parparia is a small village in northwestern Chios, 54 km from the city of Chios. Today it belongs to the homonymous municipal district of the Municipality of Chios. The average altitude of the village is 340 meters above sea level. Parparia is the fifth westernmost village of the island, built on the western slopes of Mount Amani. The nearest settlement is the village of Trypes, about 4 km to the northwest and lower. A relatively narrow road with asphalt connects the village directly with the important Monastery of Agia Markella in Chios, a place of martyrdom of the Saint, which is a place of pilgrimage for the whole island of Chios every summer.

The name of the village comes from Barbaria, ie North Africa, where the pirates who raided Chios during the Middle Ages started. Indeed, in a critical song of Rhodes it is mentioned: "the parts of Parparia" and Barbaria is meant. Moreover, the two-volume "Spelling and Encyclopaedic Dictionary of the Sun" mentions the village in the 1950s as "Barbaria". In the anonymous "Justinian Manuscript" the village is referred to as Varvakorso, while in Jerome the Divine (Chron. Eusebius) Perparea [by King Perpandros].

The evolution of the population of Parparia in the official censuses is shown in the table below.
Population of Parparia `Year of census Residents
1971 245
1981 156
1991 202
2001 261
2011 [1] 138

Parparia has a few somewhat flat places and beaches, such as the plain of Zanakounta, the plain of Kalo Lime (ie Good Harbour), Glyfada and Vathia Rimi. The location above the village is called Kastro, without any traces of a castle, only a large well. According to local tradition, there was a castle. Some medieval ruins can still be seen at Manaoudi. "Neighborhoods" of today's village are: Vigla, "Mavrou t 'alonia", "ton Kypriadon", Platani, Stavria, Londza (the center of the village), Piadi (ie Pigadi), Manteloti, Stavrakos, Varypatis, Haliki, Xylikis, Meleas, Maglava, etc ..

The fighter of 1821, Antonios Bournias, also known as Hatziantonis, was born in Parparia.

The parish church (the "village church") of Parparia is honored in the name of St. John the Theologian. There are also old churches of Agios Georgios and Agia Paraskevi, while outside the settlement (chapels) are Agios Nikolaos in the location of Trouli, Agios Theofylaktos, Panagia Koilani, Agios Ioannis of the beach (surviving ruins), Agia Matrona, Obedience (= Holy Obedience) and (also on the beach of Zanakounta) Agios Isidoros. The village is ecclesiastically under the hierarchical supervision of Volissos of the Holy Metropolis of Chios, Psara and Oinousses.

The postal code of Parparia is 82103.


References

"Table of Population Results-Census 2011".

External link

Short description with image

Historical source

Georgiou I. Zolotas: History of Chios, volume A ("Historical Topography and Genealogy"). Types of P.D. Sakellariou, Athens 1921, pp. 631-634.

See also: Chios (island)