Proti is one of the oldest villages in the Pangaio region. It belongs to the new municipal unit of Amphipolis in the Serres prefecture. It is located on the foothills of the gold-rich mountain, on the northern side at an altitude of 310 meters. To the southwest lies the village of Rodolivos, to the northwest is the village of Angista, and to the northeast is Nea Bafra. It is quite distant from the urban centers of the region(50 km from Serres, 27 km from Drama, 50 km from Kavala, and 120 km from Thessaloniki), a factor that has led the area to develop its own culture and way of life. Right above Próti, on Mount Pangaio, is the monastery of "Holy Ascension," which has a rich history and significant activity. It is easily accessible and can be admired by any visitor, as it is only 7 km away from Próti and is connected by an asphalt road.
Konstantinos Karamanlis, born in 1907 in Proti, was one of the most significant figures in modern Greek political history. He served as Prime Minister of Greece for 15 years and as President of the Republic for 10 years. During his political career, he guided the country through critical moments, leading Greece into the European Union and playing a major role in restoring democracy after the Greek junta. He passed away in 1998 at the age of 91, leaving behind a lasting legacy.
Tradition states that the historical village of Proti, in antiquity, was named "Kiasa" or "Kiesa." Later, it was called "Evdomista" due to the 70 houses it had. During the Ottoman period, it was named "Küpköy," which is a Turkish term meaning "village of jars" because many jars(küpi) were found there. It was renamed Proti in 1927. One version of the name Proti comes from Princess Proti, who had her residence near the village. Another version relates to the first stop of Alexander the Great(at the gold mines) during one of his campaigns. It might also be because it is one of the most modern villages in the region, leading it to take the name "Proti" as it takes the lead in many aspects. The names of the village in chronological order, from ancient times to today, are: Kiasa or Kiesa, Doberos, Evdomista, Küpköy, Pythia, and Proti.
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The history of the village and its people dates back to ancient times, and today's inhabitants are descendants of the ancient Edones, a Thracian tribe. This was a warrior people, one of the few who managed to escape captivity from the Persians during the campaign of Megabazus. They were progressive and had a highly developed culture(as Herodotus mentions, providing information about Amphipolis and the surrounding area). In ancient times, during the periods of Athenian and Spartan dominance, and later during the Macedonian era, the area was a significant military center. It had full jurisdiction over the famous gold and silver mines of Mount Pangaeus, from which both King Philip and his son, Alexander the Great, extracted gold and silver. Deep shafts in the Pangaeus mountain bear witness to the location and existence of these mines. In the beginning, the mines were exploited by the inhabitants of the village and the surrounding Edonian region. Their products were utilized by Amphipolis, which minted gold and silver coins, thereby increasing its dominance and power in the region.
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After the conquest of Amphipolis by Philip of Macedon in 357 BC, the exploitation of the area began in a more systematic way, as it had thousands of slaves for this purpose. After Philip's death, the mines were taken over by Alexander the Great, who organized their exploitation more efficiently, resulting in the gold and silver reserves reaching significant amounts, which were used for the minting of gold and silver coins. These coins enabled him to organize large campaigns. While Alexander the Great was fighting in Asia, the mines of Pangaeus provided the driving force for his efforts. After Alexander's death and for many years afterward, his successors continued to exploit the mines. During the Alexandrian period, the warlike and wealthy people of the region became allies of the glorious commander, assisting him greatly with their daring and distinguished officials in all battles against the barbarian peoples.
The people of the region were always allies with the neighboring peoples of the Odomenes(Serres), the Bisalts(Nigritians), the Edones(Amphipolitans), and waged fierce defensive wars against the Roman conquerors, which lasted until 148 AD when they were defeated along with their allies by the Roman general Metellus. From that point on, and for many years, along with the rest of Macedonia, it became a Roman province. Roman rule lasted until 262 AD when the entire Macedonia and the present-day region of the Serres Prefecture were conquered by the Heruli(Goths). However, the Goths were defeated in 267 AD near present-day Chrysoupoli in Kavala, and thus the entire region, which had fought so hard, was once again under Roman control, after yielding to the Roman general Publius Dexippus. After this, the Goths abandoned the area and left. Thus, Macedonia became a Roman province again, and later became part of the Byzantine Empire.
Αργότερα κατά τους χρόνους της βυζαντινής αυτοκρατορίας παρουσιάζεται ο τσάρος της Βουλγαρίας Σαμουήλ, ο οποίος κατά το έτος 986 μ.χ. την κυριεύει. Μετά από 32 χρόνια δηλ. το έτος 1018 ο αυτοκράτορας του Βυζαντίου, Βασίλειος ο Β' ο Βουλγαραροκτόνος, νικά τους Βουλγάρους κοντά Κλειδί, το σημερινό Σιδηρόκαστρο, και ελευθερώνει τη Μακεδονία και μαζί και την Πρώτη, την ένδοξη περιοχή των Ηδονών. Μετά από 2 αιώνες ησυχίας και ειρήνης , δηλ. το έτος 1204, η Μακεδονία πέφτει στα χέρια των Σταυροφόρων, για να τη διατηρήσουν μέχρι το έτος 1261 μ.χ. Τους έδιωξε από την περιοχή ο Αυτοκράτορας της Νίκαιας ο Μιχαήλ ο Η' ο Παλαιολόγος, ύστερα από σφοδρές μάχες.
Η Μακεδονία και η περιοχή έμεινε στην κυριαρχία των Βυζαντινών μέχρι το 1430, για να πέσει στη συνέχεια στα χέρια των Μουσουλμάνων. Πέντε περίπου αιώνες δια τηρήθηκε ο ζυγός των Μουσουλμάνων επί της Μακεδονίας και κατά τη διάρκεια του οι γενναίοι και πολεμικοί Ηδωνοί, αλλά και οι γύρω λαοί, διατήρησαν με θαυμάσιο τρόπο τη γλώσσα τους τη θρησκεία τους, την εθνικότητά τους, τα ήθη τα έθιμα τους ,τον πολιτισμό τους, την πολεμικότητα τους. Το μαρτυρούν άλλως τε και οι γενναίοι απελευθερωτικοί αγώνες τους, αγώνες που δικαίωσαν περίτρανα τη φήμη του πολεμικού λαού των προγόνων τους, φήμη η οποία διατηρείται αμείωτη και τώρα στην περιοχή του Παγγαίου.
Later, during the times of the Byzantine Empire, the Tsar of Bulgaria, Samuel, conquered the region in 986 AD. After 32 years, in 1018, the Byzantine Emperor Basil II, known as Bulgaroktonos, defeated the Bulgarians near the village of Kledi, the modern-day Sidirokastro, and liberated Macedonia, including First, the glorious region of the Edones. After two centuries of peace and tranquility, in 1204, Macedonia fell into the hands of the Crusaders, who ruled until 1261 AD. The Emperor of Nicaea, Michael VIII Palaiologos, expelled them from the area after fierce battles. Macedonia and the region remained under Byzantine control until 1430, when it was then conquered by the Muslims. For about five centuries, the Muslim yoke held over Macedonia, but during this time, the brave and warrior-like Edones, as well as the surrounding peoples, managed to preserve their language, religion, ethnicity, customs, and culture, along with their warrior spirit. Their remarkable resistance is also demonstrated by their heroic liberation struggles, which reaffirmed the fame of their warrior ancestors. This legacy remains unbroken today in the region of Paggaio.
From the year 1710, when the various liberation movements began, many conflicts took place in the Paggaio region, first against the Turks and later against the Bulgarians. The Bulgarians always sought a route to the Aegean Sea, and for this reason, they coveted this area. They sent many of their own people to establish families here, hoping to have a legitimate claim when discussing the Macedonian issue. Seeing the dangerous activities of the Bulgarians in the region, the Greeks began to organize their liberation struggles against the Turks and the Bulgarians. Many residents of First and the surrounding area participated in these liberation struggles, taking up arms and heading to the mountains, and many gave their lives for freedom. The fight against the Turks gradually became a fight against the Bulgarians. The so-called "Eastern Question" was formed, followed by the Macedonian Struggle, in which the local people played a part. Many Macedonian fighters gave their lives for the liberation of their homeland.
During the 500 years of Ottoman rule, the Turks were unable to influence the inhabitants, who remained pure both nationally and linguistically, as well as religiously. The few Turks who settled here were isolated. Life in the village continued normally, following the path of its 3,000-year history. As if all these hardships weren't enough for the region, the Greco-Italian War of 1940 came along, followed by occupation by the Bulgarians and the national resistance of the inhabitants. Immediately after the collapse of the Rupel fortifications, many residents took up arms and ascended to Mount Paggaio and the surrounding mountains to resist the occupiers. In this effort, many gave their lives. After four years, the long-awaited freedom arrived.
To Aγίασμα του Αγίου Γεωργίου που είναι 32 σκαλοπάτια μέσα στην γη, βρέθηκε το 1911. Μία κάτοικος του χωριού η Άννα(Αννούδα) Λιάκου σε μικρή ηλικία οραματίστηκε τον Άγιο Γεώργιο. Ο Άγιος παρουσιαζόταν συχνά στον ύπνο της και την παρότρυνε να μεταβεί σε συγκεκριμένο σημείο να σκάψει για να βρει το Αγίασμα. Για αρκετό καιρό φοβόταν να μιλήσει για αυτά τα οράματα, ώσπου κάποια στιγμή μίλησε στον ιερέα πατέρα της. Επισκέφτηκαν τον τότε Μητροπολίτη Δράμας και Ζιχνών-Εθνομάρτυρα-Χρυσόστομο για να πάρουν άδεια για το σκάψιμο. Το κτήμα όμως ήταν ιδιοκτησία ενός Τούρκου του Μολά Μεμέτ που παρά τις ενέργειες του Μητροπολίτη αρνιόταν να δώσει το κτήμα του. Όμως συνέβη ένα θαύμα που του άλλαξε τη γνώμη: το παιδί του πήγε στο σημείο και θέλοντας ειρωνευτεί τη πίστη των Χριστιανών Πρωταίων βεβήλωσε με άσχημο τρόπο το σημείο και εκείνη τη στιγμή έμεινε ακίνητο σαν να το κρατούσε μια αόρατη δύναμη, χωρίς να μπορεί να φύγει. Το γεγονός συγκέντρωσε πολλούς χωριανούς και ο πατέρας του παιδιού παρακάλεσε του ιερείς να προσευχηθούν για να ελευθερωθεί το παιδί του, όπως και έγινε. Το παιδί ελευθερώθηκε από το σημείο με μία όμως σημαντική παραλυσία. Ο Άγιος Γεώργιος παρουσιάστηκε στην Αννούδα και της είπε πως για να γίνει καλά το παιδί πρέπει να γίνουν 40 παρακλήσεις.Την 41η ημέρα το παιδί έγινε καλά και τότε ο τούρκος έδωσε όχι μόνο το σημείο που ζητούσαν αλλά και όλο το κτήμα. Το πιό σημαντικό είναι ότι βαπτίστηκε Χριστιανός αυτός και η οικογένεια του και πήρε το όνομα Θεοφάνης. Μετά το γεγονός η Αννούδα άρχισε το σκάψιμο και σε κάθε δυσκολία που συναντούσε, τις ξεπερνούσε με προσευχές και παρακλήσεις στον Άγιο Γεώργιο, ο οποίος την οδηγούσε και την βοηθούσε να παρακάμψει αυτά τα εμπόδια. Το σκάψιμο κράτησε από το 1910 έως και το 1911 οπότε και βρέθηκε το Αγίασμα. Οι κάτοικοι ολοκλήρωσαν αργότερα τη κατασκευή με τα 32 σκαλοπάτια και τον πρώτο ναό του Αγίου που ήταν κάτω από το έδαφος. Τα εγκαίνια έγιναν την ημέρα της εορτής του Αγίου Γεωργίου, το 1914. Η εικόνα του που βρέθηκε στο σημείο φυλάσσεται σήμερα στον Ιερό Ναό της Αγίας Παρασκευής. Από τότε ο Άγιος Γεώργιος τιμάτε με κάθε μεγαλοπρέπεια ως πολιούχος της Πρώτης.
The Holy Spring of Saint George, which is 32 steps underground, was discovered in 1911. A village woman, Anna(Annouda) Liakou, had a vision of Saint George when she was young. The Saint appeared to her often in her dreams and encouraged her to go to a specific place and dig to find the Holy Spring. For a long time, she was afraid to speak about these visions until one day, she confided in her father, a priest. They visited the then Metropolitan of Drama and Zihni, the Ethn martyr Chrysostomos, to seek permission to dig. However, the land belonged to a Turkish man, Mola Mehmet, who, despite the Metropolitan's efforts, refused to give permission. A miracle changed his mind: His child went to the spot and, wanting to mock the Christian faith, desecrated the area in a disrespectful way. At that moment, the child became frozen, as if held by an invisible force, unable to move. The villagers gathered around, and the father pleaded with the priests to pray for his child’s release, which eventually happened. However, the child was left with significant paralysis. Saint George then appeared to Annouda and told her that the child would recover if 40 supplications were made. On the 41st day, the child was healed, and the Turkish man not only gave the spot they had requested but also the entire property. More importantly, he and his family were baptized as Christians and took the name Theophanes. Following the event, Annouda began digging, and whenever she encountered difficulties, she overcame them with prayers and supplications to Saint George, who guided and helped her bypass the obstacles. The digging lasted from 1910 to 1911, and the Holy Spring was eventually found. The villagers later completed the construction of the 32 steps and the first church of Saint George, which was built underground. The consecration took place on Saint George's feast day, in 1914. The icon that was found at the site is now kept at the Holy Church of Saint Paraskevi. Since then, Saint George has been honored with great pomp and ceremony as the patron saint of Proti.
http://www.protiserron.gr/
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