ARCHANGELOS TODAY

Archangelos today is the largest municipality of the Island of Rhodes with population of 6.500 people , and population at the hot season of more than 12.500 people. Archangelos is located at the southeastern part of the island, 28 kilometers away from the town of Rodos, 2 kilometers away from the ocean, with geographical altitude of 161 meters, and with geographical size that goes up to 48.000 squared meters. At the left side and as we go to Archangelos we find the Medical Center. The fantastical view that we substitute as we proceed to the town is given to us by the two representatives, from the Profiti Hlia at the southeastern part, and Karavos at the western part , Mountains. Mountains that shadow the town southeastern at the morning hours and western at the afternoon hours. The town of Archangelos spreads out , in front of these two mountains and holds 5.000 squared meters living a plain of olive trees to occupy the rest 43.000 squared meters having at the edge a series of mountains to surround it.

Inside Archangelos we find the narrow streets , near and around the great Church of "Taxiarhi" , and around the church the houses that hold inside them the traditions of Archangelos. At the center in front of the community building there is the "AFENTIKA" square and around it the business that give life to the town day and night. The traditional bars the restaurants the hotels and pensions help for the hospitality of the foreign people that stay in Archangelos.

In Archangelos today we have : High School, First Elementary School, Second Elementary School, First preschool, First and Second kindergarten, Police Station, Football Stadium , Gym, Medical Center. Also in Archangelos we meet all kinds of monasteries some of which are inside the town and some of them are around it. Archangelos today still continues to keep the art of home made carpets , and the art of ceramics , which is correlated with this place since it's existence.

Since 1998 the communities of Malona and Massari have joined, and along with Archangelos, they constitute the municipality of Archangelos.

 

HISTORY OF ARCHANGELOS


At 1500 b.C. "ACHEOI" are the first Greeks that come to Rhodes and stay at the plain of today "FILERYMOS" , then called "ACHEIA" . At 1100 B.C. after the "MIKINIAKO WAR" the "DORIENS" come to Rhodes and the three city - states were developed. They were "IALYSOS" , "LINDOS" , "KAMIROS" and with "KO" , "KNIDO" , and "ALIKARNASO" developed the "DORIKH EXAPOLH" . At 408 b.C. the town of Rhodes comes up and overdevelops against the three other cities . Upon this historical fact each city has its own municipalities, communities, and small villages. The geographical plain of Archangelos was back then called Municipality of "PONTOREA". The word "PONTOREA" comes from the words "ΠΟΝΤΟΣ" means Mountain , and "ΡΕΑ" means Sea . Tracks of inhabit are confirmed upon the archeological treasures , from the "NEOLITHICAL SEASON", and the "SEASON OF HALCOS", at the cave of "KOYMELO", and at the region all around this cave.

The inhabit after the years was extended and quarters "like small communities" were created all around Archangelos. "PONTOREAS" position was in the middle of all these quarters so Archangelos must of been lived since then. The link of the Municipality of "PONTOREA" and Archangelos as we can consider from the archeological treasures continues up to 2nd century a.C. to be "PONTOREA" , and at 15th century we find the name Archangelos to be written at the orders of Knights. The archeological treasures of Archangelos , that the name "PONTOREA" comes up and the identification of the municipality of Archangelos to "IALYSOS" can be seen below:

  1. A marble stone type was found in "STASSOUSA" from a "Danish" archeologist in 1096 and today it is found in a Copenhagen museum with the scripture: "ΠΟΝΤΩΡΕΩΝ, ΑΡΤΑΜΙΤΙΟΥ,ΙΚΑΔΙ ΑΡΤΕΜΕΙ, ΕΣ ΦΑΓΑΣ ΑΙΓΑ, ΚΑΙΤΑ ΑΦΙΕΡΟΣ ΟΥΕΙ ΙΕΡΕΙΑ". From the scripture, we have learned in "ARTEMITHOS", in "FAGIOU" the "PONTORIES" celebrated on the 20th "ARTEMITOU" (a month in the Rhodian calendar) and whatever the place sacrificed sheep and gave different sorts of bread.
  2. With a four sided platform that had a circle to burn things that the Italians found in cities that are now called "PSITHOS" and "SYRA" that was discovered in 1915. This platform was moved to and placed the way the older people remember it, at the three lights at "AFENDIEKA" . After they ruined it, it stayed for a long time in the school yard, later it was transferred and it is now found in the museum of Rhodes. On one side of the platform there is a scripture: "ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑΤΗ, ΔΑΜΟΣΘΕΝΕΥΣ , ΠΟΝΤΩΡΕΙΣ". It could have been used for a double platform that offers, a place in the city of "PONTOREON", for someone that lives in "THEMOSTHENOUS". In the city "PONTOREAS" they weren't sure if "KOLYMBIA" was part of it. In the last few years they found remaining of a grave with the scripture "ΕΥΘΑΛΙΔΑΣ , ΤΑΛΜΑΚΡΑΤΕΥΣ , ΠΟΝΤΩΡΕΥΣ".
  3. The classification of "PONTOREA" in "IALISSIA" is based on the writings and the archeologist teams which are: the catalog of the sacred or holy "ERETHIMIOU APOLLONOS" a liked center that belonged to "IALISSIA" which was found close to the city "THEOLOGOS". There are also marble poles that identify the names of the holy that helped from 63 until 36 b.C. Between the 28 names of the holy from the higher level, from different towns/cities of "IALISSIA", are in 6 other names of "PONTOREA", most of them were from other cities except the city of "ISTANION", to which the place belonged.
  4. From another different scripture that belonged to "LINDOS" the 2nd a.C. century was dedicated to someone named "TITOS FLASIOU LEONTOS" we have learned that he had continued being a priest except for Rhodes and the three old towns "EIRAS", "PONTOREAS", "IALISSIAS", "IALISO", "LINDOS", "KAMIRO", and the place of "DIOS". Also handwritten the scripture of "ACROPOLI" of "IALISOS" concludes the classification of the city "PONTOREA".
  5. Also an important factor is that from the scriptures that they found until now is noticeable that something was living in that place, of the holy and sacred "ARTEMIDOS" at "FAGIOU" that is "DIOS" and "EIRAS" and "DIMITRAS", the last two places in unknown places.
ARCHANGELOS TOOK HIS NAME AFTER "TAXIARCHI POLIOUCHO" OF THE CITY WHICH IS CALLED "ARCHANGELOS MICHAEL"



ARTS

Ceramics. The art of Potter , the creation of vessels, and other pots, from Argil basically and other materials like , Caolinis ;(a better kind of Argil used to make porcelains) , and pots that are used for food , whitestone , crashed marble. The clay or mud products, can resist (from their nature) to the effects of time and atmosphere , they don't oxidize , and they play an important rule to the life and economy of the humanity for a chronological period greater than that of iron and other metals. In Arhaggelo the archeological art of ceramics found productive terrain , and had great feat more than any other place in Rhodes. The art of the potter starter in Arxaggelo at the place of (PETRONAS) , a small region between stegna beach and the town of Archangelos. From historical books we learn that the bricks , that the dome of "Agia Sofia of Kostantinoupoli" was built , were brought from PETRONAS because they were the Lightest ones at the whole Byzantine Empire.
At this region the making of the potties continued up to the second world war. From the fifth century b.C the workshops of PETRONA supplied , the town of Archangelos with potties used for home and work , the rest of the Island , and the towns at the cost of Asia as well. The small ships were used to transport the Ceramics to their destination. Today in Arhaggelo the art of Ceramics still continues , with newer workshops , to supply the whole Island.



TRADITION

The houses in the village Archangelos are dated up to 100 years. On the outside the houses have a soft and simple look or style based on the type of plaster , which is all together ; on the analogy of the dimensions, on the articulation of the opening, texture of the surface, of the chimney etc. , and usually the color of the houses , the amount of clarity , ,the way it's built with its natural surroundings. The faηade of the house is noticeable directly from the street or from the yard that is next door in between the house and the street. The outside door of the yard is about 1,70-1,90m. That we usually see on the older houses in the village, and it has enough height from the subsoil and the house has 3 little windows 50x60 60x70 cm. A lot of times on top of the door there is a marble stone with a cross on it and a lot of times there is also the date which the house was built.
The inside of the house, is decorated with wooden cabinets that are from the floor up to almost the middle of the wall, the house also has wood that is counted and fixed as the roof, they also had "mini basements" that you went into by a little door in the house, they used this as a storage for all their needs. The people and the animals lived in the same homes, as they called the rooms/house. The way they named the rooms depended on were they where placed and what type(s) of wood was used to make that room. The rooms changed depending on the house and its decorations. The fireplace was placed on the wall faηade of the house, usually near the door. The bottom of the fireplace is raised up 20-30cm. Across from the fireplace there is a bed which is made of wood.
The space under the bed is called "apokrevatos" and is used like storage for types of food, and is usually found in the main part of the house. In front of the bed that belongs to the couple there are wooden railings (paramagliekia), with an opening and a wooden staircase. The necessary compliment of the inside of the house is to have one or two mini counters near the bed and another counter near the largest wall in between the two raised up places of the house, on the inside there are the bedrooms. The counters are used to place clothes and cashews. The inside of the house is usually very interesting and holds the traditional look until now: rich looking embroidery, classic plates and pitcher on the shelfs.
Many times the plates cover a whole side of the house, which is called "piatellotehos". Also, with the plates there are embroideries in frames. A lot of times we find the mirror in the middle of wall that is full of plates ("piatellotehos"). The functions of the house is helpful "to magirio" the animals homes, and the oven were developed the inside/ stone which still remains and is not ruined like a basic home. The oven is placed outside of the home but in the yard.