HISTORICAL DATA
A small village created by refugees from the uprooting of 1922, it maintains all the characteristics of a beautiful traditional village. Of particular interest in Mesimeri are the Macedonian tombs that have been brought to light, the old church of the Saints and Poliuchos of the village, Constantine and Helen, built from the time of the Turkish rule.
The archaeological findings found in Mesimeri, mainly the three Macedonian tombs, but also the remains of a basilica found in the tomb of Agios Konstantinos and dating to the Iron Age, as well as in the Kotzia tomb, at the northern limits of the modern settlement of Mesemeri, testify the long history of the region.
According to researchers Grammeno and Heurtley, the first settlement of people in the area took place in the late Neolithic era. The first settlement numbered 12 houses. By the Early Bronze Age, it was destroyed and rebuilt 5 more times. This settlement, according to researchers Aslani and Kastanas, is considered the oldest in Macedonia.
In the Byzantine years, Mesimeri was geographically and administratively under the Kapetanikion of Kalamaria, which is the area from Karabournaki-Hortiatis-Ag.Prodromos-Ag.Mama-Isthmus of Kassandra-Thermaikos-Karabournaki.
According to information from 19th and 20th century travelers, Mesimeri was a mixed settlement of Christians and Muslims, while there was a mosque. (Aikaterini Kousoulas in “The Archaeological Project in Macedonia and Thrace 12, 1998”, Thessaloniki 2000).
In the revolution of 1821 under Emmanuel Papas, Epanomi took part in May 1821 with Mesimeri, led by Konstantinos Doubiotis.
Since 1918, Mesimeri was a settlement of Epanomi. The population of Mesimerio increased significantly after 1922, when refugees from Pontus and Eastern Romilia settled.
Mesimeri was detached from the Epanomi community and became an independent community in 1946 with an area of 11,913 acres. At that time, it had 551 inhabitants. It remained an independent community until 1998, when it merged with the Municipality of Epanomi. Today it is a Community of the Municipality of Thermaikos.
INTEREST TO THE VISITOR
Mesimeri has pictures of taverns with local snacks, delicacies and good local wine, which attract not only the locals but also visitors from other regions who appreciate good and traditional food.
The region of Mesemeri is famous for its unique lavender cultivation. The sight, especially at the time when the lavender flowering is at its peak, is unique. Those who find themselves just thirty kilometers outside of Thessaloniki, in Mesimeri, on the road to Halkidiki, will see images of rare beauty with slopes like paintings. The intense lilac color of the lavender combined with the yellow color of the helichrysum create a “carpet” of incomparable beauty, a setting suitable for unique photographs.
Comments