Tightened

History of the city

The ancient city

The first mention of Sirra goes back to fourth century BC and is at Théopompe (according to Etienne de Byzance: the mention, former, of a Siris de Péonie at Hérodote (VIII, 15), should not be identified like one generally does it with the same site, because the corresponding Ethnie, Siriopéoniens, lived according to the same author in the North of the lake Prasias (Papazoglou 1988). In addition, Etienne de Byzance distinguishes Sirs from Péonie and Sirra, town of Thrace.

This pre-Hellenic city is initially integrated into the Royaume of Macedonia with the organization of a Greek city. About fifty inscriptions constitute the principal testimony of this time and confirm that it belongs to the koinon Macedonian. They reveal also the existence of municipal magistrates, bouleutai and agoranomists .

The city becomes an episcopal see in late Antiquity: its bishop Maximinos is present at the Concile of Éphèse in 449 like with the Concile of Chalcédoine.

The modern name of Tight (Σέρραι) appears for the first time in Synekdèmos of Hiéroklès (639, 10) at the beginning of the 6th century.

One is unaware of almost all the plan and the monuments of the ancient city, as well as of extended from his territory.

The medieval city

The city leaves the darkness to the Moyen-âge and plays a big role in several conflicts with the Bulgarian ones and the Serb ones. It is mentioned by Constantin VII Porphyrogénète like a polished of the eparchia of Rhodope ( De Thematibus , 1.52-53). It is high with the row of metropolis before 997. Two major churches go back to this period: the Saint Nicolas's Day church whose architecture points out that of Panagia your Chalkeôn of Thessalonique, and perhaps the 11th century-12th century; the church métropolite of Saint-Théodores (Ag. Theodoroi, cf photographs), of basilical plan, remarkable for the mosaic of the Communion of the Apostles which decorated the apse with it, before the fire which destroyed it in 1913 (see will infra ). This work is known only by fragments preserved at Thessalonique and description that French travellers in 1903 gave some, but the stylistic relationship with the mosaics of Daphni indicate a dating at the beginning of the 12th century.

In 1185, the territory of Tight is devastated by the Normands. Towards 1195, the Bulgarian ones demolish there the Sébastokrator Isaac Comnène. After a short Latin occupation by Boniface de Montferrat following the IV {{E}} Crusade, the Bulgarian ones seize in 1206 it and, to the testimony of Georges Akropolites reduce it to a simple borough protected by a citadel.

The Byzantines take again of it control with Jean III Vatatzès in 1246, and the city knows a new boom.

The September 25th 1345, the city is taken by the Serb king Stefan Uroš IV Dušan: its territory is made up in a principality independent directed initially by the widow of Dušan, Helena, then as from August-September 1365 by the Despote Jean Uglješa. In this principality of Greek language, the Greek subjects have a big role in the administration, and the links remain close with the Byzantine empire as well as with the Mont Athos.

It is during this period of domination Serb that take place of major work of restoration of the fortifications on the acropolis, to which the inscription testifies on the lathe to Orestes (cf photographs) which is read “Turn of the emperor that Orestes built” (ΠΥΡΓΟΣ… ONE ΕΚΤΙΣΕΝ OPEΣΤΗΣ), the officer in load of this work.

The victory of Marica in 1371 briefly gives to Manuel II Paleologist the control of the area, but the Othoman Hégémonie is definitively established the September 19th 1383.

To this period a large building provided with six cupolas goes back, in the center of the city, which was to make function of market hall ( bezesteni ), and which shelters the archaeological museum today (cf photographs). It is, with that of Thessalonique, one of the two only preserved specimens of this type of monument in Greece.

The city remains Turkish, known under the name of Siruz until in 1913. It is a center of flourishing trade, supported by a back-country thrives and the trade by overland route which takes the step on the maritime trade because of the danger posed by the pirates on the coasts of Egée.

Tightened share with the Greek Révolution of takes 1821: one of its heroes, Emmanuel Dads, a banker originating in a nearby village, member of the Company of the Friends ( Philiki Etairia ), takes the head of a small army of 2500 men and carries out the fight several years against the Turks, from his general headquarter established with the Mont Athos.

Tightened still a big role in the Movement Macedonian between 1904 plays and 1908. In 1913, at the end of the second Balkan war, the city is burned by the Bulgarian army in retirement. The Greek troops enter the city the June 28th 1913.

The contemporary city

Today Serrès is a medium-sized city in an area whose activity remains primarily agricultural: culture of the Tobacco, the Rice, the Tomato S, and bovine breeding. Industry is limited mainly to the agro-alimentary sector. The primary sector (agricultural) occupies thus 60% of the active population of names. The rate of urbanization of names the Tight ones is of 45% only. Following the fire of 1913, there remain practically nothing any more the Byzantine and Othoman city.

The monastery of Ioannou Prodromou

To 12 km in the North-East of Tightened, at the bottom of a ravine to the foot of the Ménikion mount, is the Monastère of Ioannou Prodromou (Saint-Jean-the-Precursor). Founded in 1275 - 1278 by the Monk Ioannikos de Serrès, it was renovated a few years later by its nephew Ioakeim, bishop of Zichna, which equipped it with an enclosure.

The monastery experienced a significant development at the beginning of the 14th century grace in particular to the imperial support of the Paléologue: the emperor Andronic II Paleologist in particular made important land donations with the monastery whose memory is perpetuated by a fresco in frontage of the catholicon. The rich person decoration of this church goes up indeed at that time (between 1300 and 1333), for a share, but also at the years 1630. The Iconostase of the catholicon is much later (1804).

In 1345, the properties of the monastery were devastated by the invasion of the Serbes and last only with the intervention of Helene, the wife of the Serb chief Stefan Dušan, not to be completely destroyed.

During Othoman hegemony, the monastery accommodated the patriarch of Constantinople Gennadios Scholarios, when it voluntarily withdrew in 1457. It turned over on the patriarchal throne in 1462 for one year, before definitively withdrawing at Midsummer's Day in 1464, where it died in 1472. Its tomb took seat in the catholicon, and its relics were exhumed in 1854.

The square tower of the monastery was converted into library and has a bottom of 300 manuscripts, 1500 volumes various and some Chrysobulle S and Sceau X patriarchal. It was partly plundered by the Bulgares at the time of the occupation of the area between 1913 and 1917.

Today, and after being remained with the abandonment during most of the 20th century, the monastery is occupied by a community of Moniale S.

See too

External bonds

Site of the municipality of Tight in Greek
Information on Tight in English
Site of the Greek minister of the culture
Acropolis off Greenhouses
Site on Tight

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