MESSENIKOLAS

ROMAN TIMES AND LATIN CONQUEST

The village is found at the site of a small, ancient Thessalian town, by the name of Polichna.

This town constituted one of the fortresses that protected the ancient city of Metropolis, safeguarding the passage through which the ancient tribes of Dolops and Athamanes invaded and looted the plain of Thessaly.

During the Roman Times, the village was allegedly overrun by the hosts of Pompey before the latter engaged against the armies of Caesar at the Battle at Pharsala in 48 B.C. it is conjectured by the evidence of some ruined graves found in the vicinity of the village that a skirmish between the armies was enacted there before the decisive battle leaving a number of casualties behind. That is why this place is up till now called Mnemata, which means “graves”.

During the Latin Conquest after 1204, Polichna was destroyed, possibly by landslides, and the residents moved a little lower, where they built a new village, which has survived to this day.

The name of the village allegedly originates in a worthy landowner of the village, whom the Franks called Misser Nicola (in modern French monsieur Nicola). He was said to have planted himself the vineyards himself in the area and specifically the grape of the black variety, which is exclusively produced at Messenikolas. It should be noted that Thessaly had been a Frankish fief for 110 years.

According to another version based on William Miller’s book Latin Conquest in Greece the name derives from the bailli (vassal) of Achaia, Nicola Saint Omer III. This vassal led a host of 40,000 soldiers who arrived at this area in 1304 to recapture the castle of Fanarion from Queen Anna of Epirus, who had high-handedly seized it before. The queen negotiated and turned over the castle to Saint Omer, whereupon the latter disbanded his army and the soldiers dispersed all over Thessaly. A group of them might have ascended the Agrafa mountain range, where they were given land titles. Some might have settled in the area of ancient Polichna, which eventually obtained the name Messenikolas from the leader’s Christian name. There is also a location near our village bearing until this day the name Kyr Nick, i.e. Sir Nick (or Misser Nick).