The village of Menetes in Karpathos

Menetes is one of the largest villages in area and population of the island of Karpathos which belongs to the Dodecanese.The largest part of the inhabitants of the city of Karpathos comes from Menetes.

The village is built on the northern slope of Mount Prophet Ilias, it consists of 450 houses built close to each other, most of them in the island neoclassical style, and has around 662 permanent residents (census 2011).

The village is built in the south of the island at an altitude of 315 m above sea level. The airport of Karpathos, which is located on the south side of the island and is about 8 km from Menetes, was created within the area of the Menetes Community.

This Community has an area of 44.61 square kilometers. It is the largest Community of the Municipal Unity of Karpathos and the second largest in the unified Municipality of Karpathos.

History

In the Medieval maps Menetes is mentioned as Castle of Menetes. In the place where the central church of Panagia and the school on the rock are located today, there was a Venetian fortress. The inhabitants of the Ancient City of Arkesia , modern Arkasa, and Afiarti in fear of Pirates, chose to settle in this Area to protect themselves from Piracy.

Inside the Fortress there were aqueducts, battlements and munitions. The Central Gate-Door of the Castle was located in the place of the current quarter called “Pylia”.

The remains of the Castle Wall of the Menetes were used for the construction of the Church of the Menetes and many other buildings in the 19th-20th century period. While part of the walls of the Castle can be seen in photos of the area at the beginning of the 20th century.

In the dark centuries of foreign invasions, Menetes was a stronghold of resistance against every conqueror, and its inhabitants were always pioneers in the liberation struggles and became a symbol of patriotism and liberalism.

The inhabitants of Menetes were the first of the Aegean people to take the initiative to convene in 1912 in Athens a pan-Aegean political meeting on the fate of the Aegean islands.

They were also among the pioneers of the establishment of the Athens Labor Center headed by Antonis Skordaras. With the declaration of war by Italy on Greece in 1940, the Dodecanese of Athens formed a volunteer regiment, in which the Menedians of Attica had a large participation.

What to do in Menetes

Menetes, is just 8 km outside of Pigadia, with low colorful houses and narrow streets. In the courtyard of the church of Panagia you will take a panoramic photo of the village.

On the main road you will stop for snacks at the traditional Perdika cafe and a little further up Kyr-Manolis you will eat the best local goat stew on the island.

In Menetes, don’t forget to stop by the artistic workshop of Popis Hatzidakis to buy handmade souvenirs. In addition to the souvenirs, Popi will also take you on a tour of her traditional Karpathian family home with the raised sofa, the cellar and the colored plates that adorn the walls.