Research & Article by Dimosthenis Seitaridis
Cover photo by Harrys Pourouzidis
Edited by Harrys Pourouzidis
Pixelscape, has climbed mountains, splashed along the banks of lakes and rivers, and came to know the Thermaic Gulf on foot, by vehicle, and by boat. Being the restless spirits we are, we decided to leave the surface world and the sunlight behind for a while, and set out to photograph the depths of East Macedonia.
Our destinations were Fort Lisse and the Cave of the Springs of Aggitis, also known as Maara, in the border region of Drama.
We set off very early in the morning, before dawn, with our first photographic stop at the Lion of Amphipolis, gazing towards the sunrise from its pedestal.
According to popular tradition, the unknown sculptor, after completing his creation — the crowning achievement of his career,
which was intended as a symbol of strength and dedicated to some important figure — found himself facing an unpleasant surprise. The lion had no tongue. Desperate and ashamed, he took his own life by throwing himself into the nearby Strymon River.
The Lion of Amphipolis stands more than four metres high, and together with its pedestal exceeds eight metres. Its head alone is two metres long. According to specialists, its style confirms that it is a work of the fifth or the first half of the fourth century BC. According to Professor Dimitris Lazaridis, it was erected in honour of Laomedon of Lesbos, one of Alexander the Great’s most distinguished trierarchs, who settled in Amphipolis after the campaign. According to another version, it once stood on top of the Kasta Tomb.
- Holy Monastery of Eikosifoinissa -
After the necessary clicks, we continued our route northeast, towards the beautiful and densely wooded Mount Pangaion. There, at an altitude of 753 metres, on the border between the region of Serres and Kavala, stands the oldest active monastery in Greece and Europe: the Monastery of Eikosifoinissa. The foundation of the monastery dates back to the time of Sozon, bishop of Philippi, who built it around AD 450 at Vigla, very close to its present location. Over the years, the monastic settlement was abandoned, and the monastery was refounded by Saint Germanos in the eighth century.
Saint Germanos, after living as a monk at the Holy Monastery of Saint John the Baptist on the River Jordan, left Palestine and came to Vigla on Mount Pangaion around 718 AD. There he discovered the ruins of the older buildings built by Sozon. He began to raise a new monastery, but the money he had gathered for its construction was not enough to pay the craftsmen. As a result, they dragged him bloodied, to Drama to stand trial. On the road, the wounded saint was met by the Constantinopolitan officials Nikolaos and Neophytos, who were travelling to Serbia as envoys of Emperor Basil I the Macedonian.
They paid the craftsmen, freed the saint, and later sold their own property and became monks at the monastery, near Saint Germanos.
During Ottoman rule, the monastery’s contribution to the preservation of Hellenism was invaluable. Until 1843, a school operated there, known as the School of Common Letters or Greek School. At the time of the Revolution of 1821, the monastery had become a spiritual and national centre of Eastern Macedonia, and its abbots maintained close cooperation with revolutionary leaders such as Nikotsaras and Emmanouel Pappas.
The monastery’s most interesting building is its katholikon. Its architectural type is a complex four-column cross-in-square church with a dome. It consists of the exonarthex, the narthex, and the main church. The domes of the katholikon are supported by four marble columns. The ornate stone-carved main entrance was built in 1838. The exonarthex is entirely decorated with frescoes, depicting the founders in full figure. The iconostasis of the katholikon is a valuable wood-carved work, made by craftsmen from Chios. It took twenty-two years to complete, from 1781 to 1803. Today, the monastery is one of the greatest pilgrimage sites in Macedonia.
- The Medieval Bridge of Aggitis -
The next stop on our route was the beautiful medieval bridge over the Aggitis River. It lies close to Angista Station in Serres, in a lovely green setting of plane trees and willows. With a length of 60 metres, a width of 4.5 metres, and five pointed arches, the bridge is certainly one of the most beautiful arched bridges in the Balkans. It is an architectural monument whose first form was “etched” in the time of Alexander the Great and later used under Roman rule and through the Ottoman period. In its first construction phase, the building material consisted of carved porous stones joined with strong lime mortar, a material similar to that used in the nearby Macedonian Tomb B inside the village, about 600 metres away.
In a second phase, the structure included natural stones built with mortar. The final phase of the work dates to the early Ottoman period. After a short rest at the café operating in the nearby plane-tree grove, and after having the chance to photograph the staff, who were more than willing to pose, we continued our journey north in order to be on time for our appointment with the guide at Fort Lisse.
- Fort Lisse -
The fort is located on the Nevrokopi plateau, nestled in the depths of a granite rock 771 metres high. It forms part of the defensive complex known as the Metaxas Line, one of twenty-one defensive installations built along the Greek-Bulgarian border. The fortifications of Lisse consist of four groups of galleries, known as “turtles,” spread across the hill, with underground tunnels exceeding 950 metres in total length. Two of the tunnel complexes are connected by underground passages, while the other two function as independent defensive installations. The fort had machine-gun posts, accommodation and storage facilities, water tanks, generators, weapons, and positions for military vehicles.
The force stationed at Fort Lisse consisted of 12 officers and 457 soldiers. At these forts, the Greek Army fought bravely against German and Bulgarian divisions from 6 to 9 April 1941. Despite the furious efforts and attacks of the invaders, the forts were not captured. They were finally surrendered on 10 April 1941, after Greece’s capitulation. Many Greek units withdrew in formation and with their weapons at hand. The Germans paid honours to the heroes of the forts at the time of surrender.
Adolf Hitler himself, recognising the bravery of the defenders, ordered that the Greek fighters not be held in prisoner-of-war camps. Instead, they were released after the end of military operations. After the siege ended, the Germans wanted to learn the secrets of the forts’ construction from the very Greeks who had successfully repelled all their attacks. Major Georgios Detorakis, commander of Fort Lisse, refused any cooperation. The German general asked the Greek commander about his losses in personnel. The Greek officer’s answer was:
“One dead.”
This reply greatly surprised the Germans, since they themselves had suffered heavy losses and believed the Greeks inside the forts must have suffered a similar disaster. After the extremely interesting tour of the fort’s underground galleries, we set off, moved by what we had seen, for the final part of our journey: the Aggitis Cave.
You can find more about the museum on its Facebook page, fb.com/fortlisse, and on its official website, lisse.gr.
- Aggitis Cave -
The Cave of the Springs of Aggitis, also known as Maara, lies north of the Drama hydrological basin, which is surrounded by the mountains Falakro, Menoikio, Pangaion, and Symvolo. It is currently considered the largest river cave in Greece, with a length of around 15 kilometres, of which approximately 12.5 kilometres have been mapped. Its special feature is the fact that the Aggitis River flows along its floor.
The waters of the Kato Nevrokopi basin, among others, end up in the cave’s underground river. Inside the cave, 37 animal species either live permanently or find temporary shelter, mainly microfauna. Six of these species were first introduced to the international scientific community from this cave. Fish, bats, and some larger mammals can also be found there, including otters and coypu.
Particularly impressive is the “Hall of the Wheel,” which is still connected to the main area of the cave by a corridor. It takes its name from the presence of a large hydraulic wheel, eight metres in diameter, which supplied water and served the irrigation needs of the area from the Ottoman period onwards.
More information can be found on the cave’s official website, www.caveaggitis.gr.
- ΒΟΛΒΗ -
Impressed, and with our “batteries” full, we took the highway back home, making a brief stop at Lake Volvi.
We truly do not know whether this beautiful photographic journey of Pixelscape, which began about two years ago, will lead us somewhere. And to be honest, we do not care so much.
Over these two years, we have come to know wonderful places in Greece and the Balkans, met remarkable people, and all become richer — in friends, knowledge, and experience.
And just as the poet declared “As you set out for Ithaka, hope your road is a long one, …” thus we also wish you the same.
