PYRGOS

The history of Pyrgos begins in 1565 ac, when the Manolitsi or Manos family arrives to the area. They arrived from Constantinople where the name Manos still exists or from the coast of N. Epirus. Anyhow, it is certain that they came from the villages Nomitsi  and Katifari. At first, they lived in the Black Cave, which is very big and still shows marks of inhabitancy. The choice of the cave was not accidental, since not far away lies another one which is smaller and has a water fountain ΗskafidiΘ; in fact, this is where the name of the area came from.

They first started building the church of Saint Dimitrios, which exists until this day and has also been renovated.

This area used to be part of Milea, which is the oldest village of the region.

This was the reason why there were conflicts between the villagers of Milea, who wanted to go to their land, which was in the area of Skafidi, and those of Skafidi. In the end, the villagers of Skafidi were forced to move upwards to the cliff.

It is not proven whether they were forced to do so or whether they were bribed. It is certain, though that they built the first tower in the place of the square ΗPalaiopyrgosΘ. The village was named after that first tower ΗPyrgosΘ. The Manolitsi family that dwelled in Pyrgos, had 5 children. They were all boys; the first was called Jiannis, but since he had a big head he was called ΗKefalasΘ (Ηbig headΘ) and thatΥs how the family Kefalea got its name. The same applies to all the other sons, whose families were called Petrea, Stratea, Makrilea and Koufakea.

Pyrgos has the church of Ai Jiorgi, which is a Byzantine church plenty of frescos and many smaller ones, which are not easily distinguished because they are very small and they look like the other houses. These are Ai Stratigos, Ai Spiridon, The sleeping of Mary, Prophet Ilias in the center of the village and not on a cliff as it is used.

The name of the above churches is the proof of the names of the members of the Manolitsi family. It was a custom to build churches by the name of the protector saint.

(The above were taken from the historical documents of the village Pyrgos).

Pyrgos was the first base of the Municipality of Lefktro, which was created in 9 March 1835 as the Municipality of Vitilo up to 1840 when Platsa took its place after the decision of 27.11.1840 concerning the merging of municipalities.

In 1928 there were 426 residents, in 1991 there were 181, while in 2001 there were 185. It is situated within a distance of 8 km from the main road of Kardamyli-Areopoli, near Stoupa. Moving around in the village one comes across the two floor stone houses, which are still in good condition, the picturesque lanes, which connect the neighbourhoods and remind us of the Aegean islands. Next to the church of Ai Jiorgo, lies the old primary school, which is now used for social events.

The magnificent view, the peacefulness, the dry and healthy climate attract a lot of tourists, not only in summer but also permanently.

Although, the infertile and mountainous ground drove away many inhabitants, who went to the cities, today, part of them comes back, especially those who are pensioners.

Furthermore, the lack of means of transportation is a big problem. There are the local buses from the other villages (Saidona, Milea), but they are not convenient for those who want to go to the doctor, to the pharmacy, or shopping and return on time. This can be easily solved from the Municipality, since there is sufficient number of buses. A doctor visits the village every 15 days. The roads are not sufficient and in bad condition.  The water supply is also problematic.

The Cultural Association of Pyrgo in Attica, Agios JeorjiosΣ offers a great deal of help and it is a source of love and creation.

The aim of the local administration should be the achievement of a better quality of life in an organized and cohesive manner improving its services, giving priority to the everyday needs of the residents. The local administration should not forget this.

Antonis Roumaneas