Didymoteicho(Turkish: Dimetoka, Dimetoka) is a town in Thrace with 9,263 inhabitants, located in the municipality of the same name within the Eastern Macedonia and Thrace region. It is situated 85 kilometers from Alexandroupolis and 2 kilometers from the Greece-Turkey border. According to one theory, the town's name derives from the twin walls of the Kastro Kale, while another theory suggests that the name comes from the two opposite fortified cities (the two fortifications, one at the present Kale and the other on the opposite hill of Agia Petra, which served the Romans in the 3rd century AD as they faced barbarian invasions).
Ιερός Καθεδρικός Ναός Παναγίας Ελευθερώτριας Διδυμότειχου-Holy Metropolitan Cathedral of Panagia Eleftherotria of Didymoteicho.
Previously, the Roman city of Plotinopolis was located on the hill of Agia Petra, where archaeological excavations and efforts to highlight the archaeological site have been ongoing in recent years. The prison cells, where King Charles XII of Sweden was imprisoned by the Ottomans in 1713, are still preserved. The Bayezid Mosque(Mehmed I) in the city's square is considered one of the most magnificent Ottoman mosques in Europe and was inaugurated in 1420.
Didymoteicho is situated at the confluence of the rivers Evros and Erythropotamos, 950 km northeast of Athens, approximately 85 km northeast of Alexandroupolis, and 40 km from the Bulgarian borders. The Evros River, which forms the natural border between Greece and Turkey, defines the city's eastern boundary, located no more than 1 km away, while the Erythropotamos River forms its western and southern limits. The modern urban layout is the result of successive expansions of the original historical nucleus of the acropolis, which still houses the so-called old town at the top of the limestone hill, known as "Kale" or "Castle." This hill, along with the smaller hill of Agia Petra, marks the western and southeastern boundaries of urban development in Didymoteicho.
Archaeological findings(ceramics, stone artifacts) on the hill of Agia Petra, as well as on the western edge of the Castle, indicate that the history of Didymoteicho dates back to the Neolithic period. From the Iron Age, Thracian tribes settled on the two hills. Some archaeological evidence suggests that during the Hellenistic period, the area was a prosperous settlement.
During the Roman era, at the site of the ancient settlement(on the eastern edge of present-day Didymoteicho – on the hill of "Agia Petra"), the Roman emperor Trajan founded a Greek-style city ("city-state"), named Plotinopolis in honor of his wife, Plotina. In the time of Diocletian(during the Tetrarchy), the city was fortified with a wall, the enclosure of which included both hills, that of Didymoteicho and that of "Agia Petra."
After the 7th century, Plotinopolis was abandoned, and the Byzantine fortifications on the Castle Hill were developed. During the Byzantine period, the city became the capital of the Byzantine Empire three times. In 1341, John VI Cantacuzene chose Didymoteicho as the place to be crowned emperor and succeed Andronicus Palaiologos. His coronation took place with great formality on October 26, 1341, at the Church of Saint George of Paleokastrites(now Armenian).
Carved caves can be found both within the castle and on its foothills. Even today, in every house on the hill, there are such underground or semi-underground spaces, carved into the soft rock, with floor plans that can match those of a small to medium-sized old house. The typical height of these spaces reaches up to 2 meters, though they can often be even taller. In these "rooms," there are smaller carvings, holes, recesses, and small reservoirs, among other features. The caves are known by the local scholars as storage areas for "preserving food and drinking water." Among them, the remarkable water reservoirs of large capacity stand out, such as the "Water Reservoir of Christ." The two main reasons that led to the creation of these spaces are: the lack of adequate housing and auxiliary space, as many inhabitants were often concentrated within the limited space of the castle, and the scarcity of water.
The Byzantine chapel located within the Castle of Didymoteicho is considered one of the oldest buildings that survive in the Byzantine Fortress City. The Church of Agia Aikaterini was built in the early 14th century(1300-1350), and during excavations in the courtyard, tombs and an inscription with the date 1173 were found. It is a small chapel, measuring 7.10 by 3.20 meters. It is located in the eastern part of the Castle, near the area of the former palaces of Didymoteicho, just a few meters from the "Palace Gate," also known as the "Sarayportes." According to some researchers, the church was used only by the women and daughters of the castle's rulers. Thus, over time, Agia Aikaterini came to be regarded as the protector of girls. Over the years, the building suffered significant damage. In 1910, at the expense of the local residents, parts of the eastern and southern walls were rebuilt, and part of the roof was repaired. In 1990, a final restoration took place, which led to its present form.
The main external gates of the walls were three: the Gates of the Bridge, the most well-known and the only ones that survive today, the "Kaleportes," those of the Market, and the Gates of the Palaces, or Sarayportes. The three sultanic gates lead towards the palaces: one to the south, one to the north, and one gate of the lower zone that opens towards the area of the Tsolmektziler Street(these are the Sarayportes). In addition to these, on the western side of the castle, there is the Kiopru Kapousu, meaning the Gate of the Bridge, and to the south, the Tsarşi Kapousu, the gate of the market. Both are double, fortified, and sturdy. Of the five gates in total, the three largest external gates would be the last three, while the first two would constitute the main internal gates of the acropolis, which today cannot be located without excavation.
The Church of Saint George in Paleokastritsa, where the coronation of Emperor John VI Kantakouzenos took place on October 26, 1341(currently the Armenian Church of Surp Kevork).
The Church of the Savior Christ was built in 1846 on the site of a previous structure, the Byzantine Monastery of the Savior Christ. It is a three-aisled church with a double colonnade made of stone columns. The bell tower is built on top of a Byzantine tower and was erected in 1873. The church houses two significant Byzantine icons from the 13th and 14th centuries. One is a double-sided icon(1300–1350) depicting the Crucifixion and the Virgin Mary holding the Child, known as the "Didymoteichitissa," which was a gift from Emperor Andronicus III Palaiologos. The second icon is the Deesis of the Savior Christ (early 1200s), also double-sided. On the back side, parts of the Deposition scene are preserved. The icon is carried in procession during the Feast of Pentecost at Kalé-Panahir, according to an ancient Byzantine tradition.
During the Ottoman period, Didymoteicho became the first Ottoman capital on European soil. The years that followed were particularly difficult for the population of the town, with many suffering for their Christian faith. During the Greek War of Independence in 1821, the region of Didymoteicho also rebelled (at that time, Didymoteicho was the largest city in Western Thrace), but the revolution was quickly suppressed after the defeat of the rebels in the Battle of Saltikio. This was followed by the Massacre of Didymoteicho, when a Turkish mob, supported by Ottoman authorities, carried out massacres and hangings of Greeks. Didymoteicho was liberated and officially united with Greece under the Treaty of Sèvres in July 1920.
Δεν υπάρχουν σχόλια:
Δημοσίευση σχολίου