Our village

Brief Community History

Map of Fokida (June 1787)

The first (from a total of two) saved Byzantine wedding buckles in Kastellia (Daisy with red stones)

The first (from a total of two) saved Byzantine wedding buckles in Kastellia (Dove with open wings)

In the initial, after the 1821 Rebellion, administrative divison of Greece, the Erineos municipality, with Kastelli (Erineo) being its capital, was formulated under the order 8/20-4-1835 which was published in the Newspaper of the Government (General records of the State of Othonas, Interior Ministry F. 122, L. 23645) as a municipality of the Parnassida prefecture. It was ranked in the B' class with population 2253. Its citizen was named "Erinios". The name of the municipality was originated from the same city of ancient Dorida. The residents who comprised the Ernieos municipality were: Erineos (Kastelli) 320, Koukouvista 402, Hlomon 140, Mavrolithari 720, Kastriotissa 130, Gouritsa 100, Stromi 441.

With the published order, in annex 2 of 80/28.12.1836 FEK of the General Municipality List of the State, the prefecture of Parnassida included from the year 1836 until the year 1840, thirteen in total municipalities, among which was the Dorida municipality - as it was renamed and referred to at the time - with capital Kastelli as well. That Dorida municipality included (besides Kastelli) the villages Vrariani, Kaniani, Koukouvista, Sklithro, Hlomos and Hani of Gravia

With the new provision of FEK 1837 annex 2, the Dorieon municipality is formulated. The initial constitution included parts of the Erineos municipality (Erineos=Kastelli), Koukouvista, Hlomos and part of the Lilaia municipality, Variani, Hani of Gravia, Kaniani and Sklithro. The Dorieon municipality took its final shape with the future additions of Haradreon municipality as well as other villages (Epano Agoriani, Marilates, Bralos, Metohi of Profitis Ilias and Lileon municipality, Epano and Kato Souvala, Palaiohori and Diplopita, Paliampela, Gkoura, Kato Agoriani, Ano Kaniani, Kato Kaniani, Gravia and Souvala).

It is noted, that with order 30.8-11.9/1840 FEK 22, municipalities of Lileon and Charadreon got merged into the Dorieon municipality. With its new formulation, the Dorieon municipality was ranked in B' class, with population 3821 and capital of Kato Agoriani.

Order 14-26.2.1842 changed the capital of the municipality from Kato Agoriani to Gravia.

In order 8/1/1870 which was published in 26/6.2.1870 FEK, the municipality included the villages Kato Agoriani, Kastelli, Variani, Kaniani, Koukouvista, Sklithros, Hlomo, Hani of Gravia, Epano Agoriani, Mariolates, Bralos, Metohi of Profitis Ilias, Epano Souvala, Kato Souvala and Paliohori.

With the July 3rd 1872 order, the municipalities of Parnassida get converted without any change in Dorieon municipality. The initial seal of the Dorieon municipality was round and carried the royal emblem. The municipality council proposed the use of "παίδα εστεμμένον ή κυνηγόν κρατούντα περιστεράν με ανοικτός τας πτέρυγας" or "Αρην πολεμούντα με το τόξον εις τα χείρας". Finally and after the proposal of archaeologist P. Efstratiadis, the emblem that was chosen was "three young dancers and fighters" and around them the words "Dorieon municipality". According to the archaeologist, the emblem was showing the three young men dancing the pyrrihion. The opinion which prevailed, was that it "symbolizes the dance of Odysseas Androutsos as he was coming out of the Hani of Gravia after the battle against the Turks", opinion which was historically inaccurate, since the Odysseas Androutsos dance occurred before the battle.

After the change in the administrative division of the country and the suppression of municipalities with L. (4057/1912), with the 29.8.1912 order the "Kastelli" community was constituted and recognized. Finally with the order 25/20.12.1978 (FEK AT.8/18.1.1979) it was renamed, from "Kastelli" community to "Kastellia community" and the village from "Kastellion" was renamed to "Kastellia, The".

Brief history of the area

It is a well known fact that our village, Kastellia, is positioned in the center of the Ancient Dorida. In the beginning, this area was inhabited by the tribes of Driopon and Pelasgon. With the downstream of Dorieis (approximately 1148 B.C.) these tribes were forced out and the Dorieis, having iron as their weapon, founded in the area the Koino of Dorieon, the Doriki Tetrapolis, in-between Esperious or Ozoles and the Epiknimidious Lokrous. It s cities were Kitinio (the largest), Erineos, Voion and Pindos or Akifas. That land was considered to be the Metropolis of Dorieon who regrouped at that place and strated from Nafpaktos with ships to go down to Peloponissos and settled in mostly in Sparta. It is historically known that the Metropolitan Dorieis had differences with their neighbours Fokeis. They took leading role in founding the Amfiktioniko Conventionnased in Anthili. It is now known where exactly each city was built but the younger generations with believes and some analysis have reached to various conclusions. Live testimonies until today are the ruins in Paliohori (Marmara position), paliokastro (Keramidario), near the Bralos Railway Station, Paliokastro of Hlomos, Sakloulas in Gavia, Kastellia cemetery, Pirgos, Epano Kastelli and Inohori.

The Doriki Tetrapolis is seen in the later years of Filippos and Alexander as extended to exapolis. The tide of people shifts in the territory of Greece after the Roman conquerors (146 A.C.), which started around the 6th A.C. century, swept Tetrapolis and its inhabitants moved towards the mountains. In "Sinekdimo" of Ieroklis in the 6th century (535 A.C.) from the Doriki Tetrapolis, the only city which is mentioned is Voion as Voe and the new cities are starting to be mentioned using their Slavic or Frank names. Therefore, the Doris land is refered to with the generic Slavic name Gravia (douskotopos) which as a matter of fact, along with the cities and fortresses of Sidirokastro, Zitounio and Gardiki with the name Varonia of Gravia, are given as dowry (timario) to the Master ("Megalo Kiri"), the afterwards Duke of Athens, William De La Ros from the Byzantine emperor John Duke Vatatzi, for his daughter Eleni-Aggela which was wed to him (1254-1258). (the entire Doriki valley is still referred to "Magalokiri" until today, i.e. the place which belongs to the Megalo Kiri, as the Duke of Athens is referred to in the "Book of Kougkesta"). It was then when our village gets its latin name "Kastelli" (from the latin Castellum which means small fortress, small tower, which was built as a defensive structure). Apostolias is called with its Slavic name "Kaniani" (Kokkinohori) as was Kaloskopi named as "Koukouvista" (i.e. the place where coo coos sign).

The Christianization of the area starts slow with the A' Oikoumeniki Sinodos (325 A.C.) and later on (886-912 A.C.) Episkopi Varianis (Asvestohori) is founded. That is why our village has many churches named after St. Athanassios. The Turks invade in 1393 A.C. and take over the entire area and Amfissa. Kastellia and Hlomos during the Turk occupation have dimogerontia and a permanent Turk tax collector (zambiti)and belong to the Turkish general administration (vilaeti) of Sterea Ellada-Ipiros-Thessalia and at the satzakio (prefecture) of Halkida. A lot of people join Filiki Etaireia and during the rebellion, all of Kastellia offers to the fight with full force, all of them carrying guns mainly in the askeri of Panourgias. Six (6) of them participate in the Hani of Gravia. In total, the participants from Kastellia mentioned to take place in the 1821 Revolution are 128 combined with the people of Hlomos and officially dead are 11 mentioned. In September of 1828 a battle took place with 600 attacking Turks under the orders of Ahmet-Aga Veli with them being held back from the Kastellia people with the help of the Β' Pentakontarhia, led by Panomaras and left 30 dead on the battlefield.

This wraps up the history of our village until 1830.

Kastellia today

During the 1991 population inventory, the permanent residents were 779. If we sum up though all the Kastellia descendents worldwide, that number surpasses 2.500. Most Kastellia descendants (Kastelliotes) are mainly residing in the Athens-Piraeus area, Thessaloniki, Lamia, Amfissa, Volos, Patra and Larissa. Abroad, Kastelliotes can be found in Australia, United States and Canada.

Since 1940 there has been housing development of more than 117 buildings and most of old houses have been renovated and repaired. Our village has more than 417 buildings, 300 of which where present prior to 1940. It has a community office, an equipped medical office, 2-class elementary school (which unfortunately is non-operational at the moment), state kindergarten with 22 children and the ability to host up to 25, three organized children's playgrounds, basketball court and soccer field. It has a community hostel with 5 rooms equipped with a bathroom and a blood bank. Moreover, it has a Museum with archaeological, medieval and more recent displays, as well as a rich library.

Apart from the Progressive Association "TA KASTELLIA", where all people from kastellia belong to, our village possesses a Cultural and Athletic Association as well as a Women's Association. In the past years, when the village had more permanent residents, it also had a Farmers club, a Hunters club as well as an Agricultural, a Livestock-farming, a Forrest and a Mutualism Associations. The last, was a major breakthrough for its times, where the Church was covering all losses of the members. Today, in addition to the previously mentioned, there exist two Agricultural Associations as well as a Farmers Credit Coalition.

There exist stores and coffee shops in the "Pera Horio" (Likorrahi) as well as in "Ai Giorgis" (Barouka) areas. On the Lamia-Amfissa highway there exists a modern restaurant and rest stop area. The main attraction and permanent option especially for a summer getaway during the hot hours of the day, is "Hani of Zagganas" which has returned to operation during the few last years.

During summer, when Kastelliotes from other parts of Greece and abroad return to the village, the village is filled with life and is considered on e of the premier vacation spots. Finally, it is worth noting that the education and the dedication for studies and sciences of the Kastellia people is a unique phenomenon for the area. One out of three Kastellia people has completed University studies or has excelled in the professional, merchant or industrial sector.

Other facts

Village Electricity: Kastellia received electricity in the early 1965. Indicative is the following Kastelliotika Nea article:

Telecommunications in the village: Kastellia were connected to OTE's network before the 1940 war. The first telephone device was manual and was located in the school. Indicative is the following Kastelliotika Nea article:

1879 elections ballot catalogue of the Dorida municipality

Click to retrieve the elections ballot catalogue