Pyli Πύλη
Municipality
Pyli municipality
Pyli Location within the region
Coordinates:39°28′N21°37′E / 39.467°N 21.617°E /39.467; 21.617
Country	Greece
Administrative region	Thessaly
Regional unit	Trikala
Government
• Mayor	Kostas Maravas[1] (since 2019)
Area
• Municipality	748.9 km2 (289.2 sq mi)
• Municipal unit	100.1 km2 (38.6 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[2]
• Municipality	20,000
• Density	27/km2 (69/sq mi)
• Municipal unit	5,000
• Municipal unit density	50/km2 (130/sq mi)
• Community	3,500
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Vehicle registration	ΤΚ

Pyli (Greek:Πύλη,romanized: Pýli) is a municipality in theTrikala regional unit,Greece. Situated 18 km west of Trikala, right at the bottom of two mountainsItamos, andKoziakas, which mark the beginning of the Pindos mountainline, Pyli marks the entrance to a great gorge and the natural path that leads to the city ofArta. The riverPortaikos, a tributary of the riverPineios, runs through this location. The municipality of Pyli contains 7 municipal units, but the town itself has a population of about 4,000. Most inhabitants are either self-employed in business establishments. Agriculture and animal herding as an occupation has been largely abandoned, though the surrounding area is ideal for both (mountainous and flat terrain). Pyli had always been the major trade center for the surrounding settlements.

The settlement of Pyli has been referenced since antiquity. It is first mentioned in the work ofPausanias,Description of Greece (Hellados Periegesis), a travel and cultural guide of ancient Greece, referenced as "Great Gates", because the location is a natural passage betweenEpirus andThessaly. There also was a temple devoted to AphaiaAthena in the surrounding area, whose ruins can be still seen. It is also recorded thatAlexander the Great passed through Epirus and came to Thessaly through Pyli, in order to ensure Thessaly's support in his plans (which was successful, the cavalry of Thessaly became notorious in Alexander's campaign). It was also later visited by KingPhilip V of Macedon.

During Greco-Roman times, the location was found to be of strategic importance and the castle of Athinaion was used as an outpost, enabling monitoring of the plains in distances of up to 30 or 40 km (the famousMeteora are visible on a clear day from these outposts). In Byzantine times, after the firstfall of Constantinople to theFourth Crusade in 1204 AD, various independent states emerged, among which theDespotate of Epirus and the principality of Thessaly. In 1283, the ruler of Thessaly,John I Doukas, founded the monastery ofPorta Panagia in the area.

Under the rule of theOttoman Empire, the town prospered and while it had originally been situated in the north side of the river Portaikos, it is mentioned in the writings ofCosmas of Aetolia that he visited Pyli, and the residents gave no heed to his teachings. It is said that he cursed Pyli and its residents (then known as Porta), and they relocated to the south bank, where Pyli stands today. During the Ottoman era,Ali Pasha of Ioannina rebelled against the Ottoman Empire and tried to turn his domain into an independent state. During his campaign, his army camped briefly at Pyli, and lit a very large and venerableplatanus, which was badly burnt, but survived due to its large and strong roots, and still survives to this day. DuringWorld War II, the area came under the authority of Italian occupation forces, and was the site of theBattle of Porta between the Greek partisans ofELAS and the Italians in June 1943. In 1943-1944 it was under German occupation. The Germans set fire to the monastery of theDormition of Theotokos, believing that ELAS forces were in hiding there.

In modern years, Pyli has been the local trading and education center for the surrounding villages and settlements, especially those situated in the mountainous area west of Pyli. Since Thessaly was merged into the Kingdom of Greece in 1888, Pyli was always intensely populated and bristling with activity, being characterized as a 'small town' and electing a mayor of its own. With theKapodistrias plan in the late 1990s, Pyli officially became a municipality with 6 municipal prefectures under its jurisdiction, St. Vissarion, Ropoto, Palaiokarya, Petrohori, St. Prokopios and Kotroni.

The municipality Pyli was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 7 former municipalities, that became municipal units:^[3]

• Aithikes
• Gomfoi
• Myrofyllo
• Neraida
• Pialeia
• Pindos
• Pyli

The municipality has an area of 748.938 km², the municipal unit 100.075 km².^[4] After the 2014 elections, the new mayor is Kostas Maravas

A place of great historic importance due mainly to its strategic location as well its unique landscape, Pyli boasts a large number of monuments, especially considering its size.

• Thebasilica ofPorta Panagia that dates back to 1264, on the north bank of the river Portaikos. The basilica of Porta Panagia was thekatholikon of the monastery of the Irresistible Theotokos and is dedicated to theDormition of the Theotokos. It was built in 1283 by the ruler ofThessaly,John I Doukas. The church is divided into two parts, themain church and theouter section. Themain church is a three section cross roofed basilica, while theouter section is a cross shaped escribed dome. There are still pieces of marble decoration and structured that date back to the original ancient temple on top of which the church was built, but most were destroyed in a fire in 1855. The icons are also in need of restoration but they are still visible, though another fire in 1980 nearly destroyed them totally.
• Themonastery of St. Vissarion, where women are not allowed to enter and has a total of 365 cells for the monks, situated onMount Koziakas. The monastery was re-established by St. Vissarion sometime between 1527 and 1535. The church that still stands today was built from scratch in 1557 by thearchbishop of LarissaNeophytos II, and the bishops Joseph of Demetrias, Joseph, Luke of Litzas, and Martyrios ofFanari. The church of the monastery is situated at the location the church St. Vissarion built with the help of his brother, Ignatios. The iconography was completed in November 1557 by the painter George from Constantinople. The monastery was one of the richest and most active of the area. It has 366 cells, dining halls, land property in Romania, a rich library with important manuscripts (most of which currently reside in theNational Library of Greece). In 1823 the monastery was looted by Suldje Kordja, and in 1943 it was bombed twice, by the Italians and the Germans.
• The Monastery of the Theotokos, situated at Goura onMount Itamos. Right on top of the town of Pyli at a height of 640m, it is a women's monastery dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos. The monastery was founded in 1743 with funds from thearchon Dimakis, from the village Chaliki of the area ofAspropotamos. In 1770, during theOrlov Revolt, the monastery was looted by the Turks, in 1823 it was burnt by Suldje Kordja, and in 1854 it was destroyed again. In 1864 it was rebuilt only in order to be set ablaze again on May 11, 1878 by the Turks, because it was used as a rebel stronghold during the briefGreek rebellion in Thessaly that year. It was built anew in 1893 by the newly appointed chief of the monastery, Meletios Karanikas. In 1943 it was bombed and burnt by the Germans and in 1960 its church collapsed. In 1961 nuns were reinstalled in the monastery, and since then it has steadily bloomed. Today it is a small and picturesque monastery, especially when in celebration.
• The ancient fortress of Athenaion is at an altitude of 1356m, near the monastery of the Theotokos at Goura. It was built somewhere between the 5th and 1st century B.C. It was taken over by KingPhilip V of Macedon, in 189 B.C., during his campaign against theAthamanians. It was destroyed in 46 B.C. byJulius Caesar. There is a mountain path to the castle.
• Thearched bridge at Pouri, which is considered to mark the end of the mountains and the beginning of the settlement, a classic example of stonemasonry of the era it was built (1514). This arched bridge was built in 1514 bySt. Vissarion, and up to 1936 was the only link between the plains of Thessaly and the villages of Pindos. It is 67 m long, 2.05 m wide, 30.5 m high at the center and its parapet is 0.7 m high. According to the tradition, because St. Vissarion had no money with which to pay the craftsmen, they stopped work on the bridge. A bear then presented itself, which helped to carry the raw materials but also led the chief craftsman to move a large boulder and uncover a treasure. So the workers were paid and the bridge was completed. According to the same tradition, it was St. Vissarion who first crossed the bridge, and threw the chief craftsman'smallet a few kilometers away, and were the mallet was found, the monastery of St. Vissarion was built (in the north bank of the river, where presently the settlement of St. Vissarion or locally known as Dousiko (Δούσικο) is situated).

The climate in Pyli is worth mentioning since it has characteristics of both the plains and the mountainous regions of Thessaly. It is generally wet in the winter, with regular snowfalls each year averaging 30–40 cm of snow. There are also frequent rains, and low temperatures. In the summer it is arid and hot, though there are occasional buffs of cool breezes coming from the mountains. The surrounding forests and the river foliage of platanus trees provide small pockets of relief in the summer, so Pyli is a favorite stopover for many people from Trikala and the surrounding villages who are in search of some shade.

There are regular buses almost every hour from and to Trikala, and tickets are available from and to Pyli directly from eitherAthens orThessaloniki. Buses also provide access to the surrounding areas quite frequently (at least once a day), and there is a local cab service available.^{[citation needed]}

• Nimas, Theodoros A.Trikala - Kalampaka - Meteora - Pindos - Chasia, Geography - History - Monuments - Tourism. Kyriakidis Brothers Publishing House, Thessaloniki, 1987 (Original Greek book title:Τρίκαλα - Καλαμπάκα - Μετέωρα - Πίνδος - Χάσια, Γεωγραφία - Ιστορία - Μνημεία - Τουρισμός, Θεόδωρος Α. Νημάς, Εκδοτικός Οίκος Αφοί Κυριακίδη, Θεσσαλονίκη, 1987).

• The website of the Cultural Club of Pyli
• The official website of the town of Pyli
• The municipality of Trikala official website
• A news and guide site for the prefecture of Trikala

• Populated places in Trikala (regional unit)
• Municipalities of Thessaly
• Pyli

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