Mavrochori

Mavrochori
Mavrochori
Community
	Mavrochori (left), Polykarpi (right)
	Mavrochori
	Coordinates: 40°30′44″N 21°19′13″E / 40.51222°N 21.32028°E
Country	Greece
Geographic region	Macedonia
Administrative region	Western Macedonia
Regional unit	Kastoria
Municipality	Kastoria
Municipal unit	Makednoi
Population (2021)
• Community	1,379
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)

Mavrochori (Greek: Μαυροχώρι(οv), meaning "black village"; before 1928: Μαύροβον – Mavrovon^[2]) is a village on the shores of Lake Orestiada in Kastoria regional unit of Macedonia, Greece.^[3]

Today Mavrochori is a tourist destination for a quiet vacation near the lake of Kastoria.^[4] In addition to the trade fair, festive events take place on the 13th - 15 August of the Assumption of Mary, where the Monastery of Panagia Mavriotissa celebrates (it was built by General George Palaiologos in commemoration of the victory against the Normans in 1083).^[5] The Mavrochori Nautical Club also operates in the village.^[6]

History

It was in existence at least from 1380^[5] and is denoted, under the name Mavrobo, in the British Baldwin & Craddock Map of Greece which was published on 1 January 1830.^[7] The name Mavros, together with the name Krepeni, is found in a title deed executed by Serbian nobleman Nikola Bagaš.^[8]

In the end of the 18th century the patriarch of the Mavrovitis family moved his people from the nearby Krepeni village to Mavrovo in order to avoid a plague pandemic, and it is believed that people were frequently moving between Krepeni and Mavrovo.^[5]

The Monastery of Panagia Mavriotissa, originally named Mesonisiotissa (meaning "in the middle of the island"), was built near the village.^[5]

Mavrochori had a historical relationship with both the Mavriotissa monastery as well as with the nearby village of Krepeni.^[5]

During Ottoman rule, Mavrovo was populated by Christians and Muslims, it had one Greek school and one Muslim school and five inns.^[9]

The Greek census (1920) recorded 1062 people in the village and in 1923 there were 450 inhabitants (or 45 families) who were Muslim.^[10] Following the Greek–Turkish population exchange, in Mavrovo there were refugee families from Asia Minor (55), Pontus (19) and one other from an unidentified location in 1926.^[10] The Greek census (1928) recorded 1065 village inhabitants.^[10] In 1928 there were 72 refugee families (320 people).^[10] There were two mosques and two Muslim cemeteries in the village, later all destroyed.^[11]