Avia Αβία | |
|---|---|
 Location within the regional unit | |
  Avia | |
| Coordinates:36°58′N22°09′E / 36.967°N 22.150°E /36.967; 22.150 | |
| Country | Greece |
| Administrative region | Peloponnese |
| Regional unit | Messenia |
| Municipality | West Mani |
| Area | |
| • Municipal unit | 179.8 km2 (69.4 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[1] | |
| • Municipal unit | 1,915 |
| • Municipal unit density | 10.65/km2 (27.59/sq mi) |
| • Community | 642 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Vehicle registration | ΚΜ |
Avia (Greek:Αβία,Ancient Greek:ἡ Ἀβία) is a village and a formermunicipality inMessenia,Peloponnese,Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipalityWest Mani, of which it is a municipal unit.[2] The municipal unit has an area of 179.828 km2.[3] The seat of the municipality was inKampos. Avia is a popular tourist destination. It also has a large olive production. Avia is situated on the east coast of theMessenian Gulf, southeast ofKalamata, southwest ofSparta and northwest ofKardamyli.
In the location where Paliochora is located today, the Homeric city ofIre (Ιρή) is supposed to have stood (Iliad I 150 and I 292). The 2nd century travellerPausanias mentioned in hisDescription of Greece that the city Ire was renamedAbia byCresphontes, king ofMessene, afterAbia, the nursemaid of his great-grandfatherHyllus, son ofHeracles. Abia was disputed between the Messenians and theSpartans. Abia became a member of theAchaean League in 181 BCE. In the city was a temple ofAsclepius. It continued to be a place of some importance down to the reign ofHadrian, as we learn from an extant inscription of that period.[4] After Pausanias' time, Abia was not mentioned in sources. It was probably destroyed during barbarian invasions.
In the early 15th century, theVenetians built the castle ofMantineia at the location of the ancient city. It was the seat of the barony with the same name. Mantineia was abandoned by its inhabitants to escape pirate raids, and they settled in the inland village ofMegali Mantineia. The ruined castle town received the namePalaiochora. In 1775, the Church of the Dormition was built at the site of the temple of Asclepius.
From the mid-19th century, the inhabitants of Megali Mantineia began to settle in the beach area again, in the settlementsPalaiochora,Archontiko andKopanoi (the modernAkrogiali). Palaiochora became the seat of the community of Megali Mantineia in 1924. In 1926 both the settlement Palaiochora and the community were renamed to Avia. In 1998, the community Avia merged with 7 other communities to form the new municipality Avia, with its seat inKampos.
The municipal unit Avia is subdivided into the following communities (constituent villages in brackets):
| Year | Village population | Community population | Municipal unit population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 324 | - | - |
| 1991 | 185 | - | 2,908 |
| 2001 | 217 | 528 | 2,391 |
| 2011 | 281 | 611 | 2,246 |
| 2021 | 267 | 642 | 1,915 |
Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). "Abia".Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.
