Feneos
Φενεός
Feneos plain showing seasonal floods.
Feneos plain showing seasonal floods.
Feneos is located in Greece
Feneos
Feneos
Location within the regional unit
Coordinates: 37°57′N 22°19′E / 37.950°N 22.317°E / 37.950; 22.317
CountryGreece
Administrative regionPeloponnese
Regional unitCorinthia
MunicipalitySikyona
 • Municipal unit226.2 km2 (87.3 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Municipal unit
1,342
 • Municipal unit density5.9/km2 (15/sq mi)
Community
[1]
 • Population87 (2011)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code
200 14
Vehicle registrationΚΡ

Feneos (Greek: Φενεός, Latin: Pheneus) is a village and a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Sikyona, of which it is a municipal unit.[2] The municipal unit has an area of 226.201 km2.[3] Its population was 1,342 in 2011. The seat of the municipality was in Goura. The name comes from the ancient city of Pheneus.

History

Main article: Pheneus

In ancient times the area was considered part of Arcadia. Herodotus stated that the river Styx arises near Feneos.[4] Feneos lies at the foot of Mount Cyllene, mythical birthplace of the god Hermes. It therefore served as an important cult centre for the god, notably during the annual festival of the Hermaea.[5] Catullus (Poem 68) mentions the seasonal flooding of the plain and says it was drained by an underground channel dug by Hercules during his Twelve Labors.

In the Aeneid, Evander's fond memories of a visit by Aeneas' father Anchises to Feneos are one factor in his decision to ally his Arcadian colonists to the Trojans.[6]

During the Greek Civil War, Communist guerillas turned the nearby monastery of St. George into a concentration camp and killing ground for those they deemed "reactionaries". The concentration camp was well-organized for mass killings, with 6-7 resident killers that worked round the clock in busy times. It is believed that hundreds were killed.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b "Απογραφή Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2011. ΜΟΝΙΜΟΣ Πληθυσμός" (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority.
  2. ^ "ΦΕΚ B 1292/2010, Kallikratis reform municipalities" (in Greek). Government Gazette.
  3. ^ "Population & housing census 2001 (incl. area and average elevation)" (PDF) (in Greek). National Statistical Service of Greece. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-21.
  4. ^ Herodotus, Histories 6. 74. 1, http://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/PotamosStyx.html
  5. ^ Pausanias (2nd century CE. Description of Greece. VIII: 14: 10.
  6. ^ P. Vergilius Maro (29-19 BCE). Aeneis. VIII: 164.
  7. ^ Stylianos Perrakis (2006). The Ghosts of Plaka Beach: A True Story of Murder and Retribution in Wartime Greece. Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press. pp. 144–. ISBN 978-0-8386-4090-6.
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