Agio Pnevma (Greek: Άγιο Πνεύμα) is a village and a former community in Serres regional unit of Central Macedonia, Greece located 12 km east of the city of Serres, on the southwestern mountain slopes of Menoikio (altitude 310 m). Since the 2011 local government reform it is a part (municipal unit) of the municipality Emmanouil Pappas, whose the seat is in Chryso. It has a population of 1,031 inhabitants (2021). Until 1928 was named "Vezniko" and from 1928 until 1940 "Monoiko". ΕΛΛΑΔΑ (Ιστορία-Οικονομία-Πολιτισμός-Πρόσωπα-Γεωγραφία)- Νομός Σερρών, σ. 104-105 (Εκδόσεις "Δομή") Its current name is Greek for "Holy Spirit." Well known modern Greek singer Glykeria was born in Agio Pnevma in 1953.
History
Greek antiquity
The village presents an impressive lifetime from prehistoric until present times. Within the village at the hill of St. Constantine the site of a prehistoric settlement is testified, which was abandoned in early antiquity. After this life continued in the ancient times alongside the present village on the steep hill of "Gradiskos", where were found the ruins of an ancient small town, probably named "Monoikos" and belonged to the region of Odomantice. Dimitrios C. Samsaris, Historical Geography of Eastern Macedonia during the Antiquity (in Greek), Thessaloniki 1976 (Society for Macedonian Studies), p. 176. - Dimitrios C. Samsaris, A History of Serres (in the Ancient and Roman Times) (in Greek), Thessaloniki 1999, p. 161 (Website of Municipality of Serres)
Roman antiquity This town, which survived until Byzantine times under the name "Monospito", had flourished in Roman times and especially during the imperial period (1st-3rd century AD). In the 3rd AD century, because of the frequent barbaric raids, it was fortified with acropolis, from which some parts of its wall have been preserved to the day. D. C. Samsaris, A History of Serres, p. 161-162 (Website of Municipality of Serres) The iron rust and a Latin inscriptionD. C. Samsaris, La vallée du Bas-Strymon á l' époque impériale, Dodone 18(1989), fasc.1, p. 270-271, n. 104 = The Packard Humanities Institute (Samsaris, Bas-Strymon 104, # PH150743) show the systematic exploitation of the iron mines of the surrounding area. D. C. Samsaris, Les mines et la metallurgie de fer et de cuivre dans la province romaine de Macédoine, Klio 69(1987), 1, p. 156-157 Of particular interest is also the discovery – a few kilometers northeast – of a marble quarry, which seems to have worked during the imperial period (Ist-3rd century AD). D. C. Samsaris, The marble quarry of the ancient Monoikos Odomantikos (in Greek), "Makedonika" 18(1978)226-240
See also List of settlements in the Serres regional unit
References