Rachia

Rachia

The village of Rachi or Rachia is built southwest of Veria at a height of 400 meters. At the beginning of the 19th century the village was called “Riachovo” and was inhabited by several families of native Greek Macedonians. After the failure of the revolution of Naoussa in 1822 the village was destroyed by the hordes of Lubut Pasha and those of its inhabitants, who escaped death, took refuge in mountainous and remote settlements of the area, returning back just a small part of them in 1891. In 1916 French engineers surveyed the village where in the following period the construction of the first houses of the settlement began in view of the settlement of the first
Pontic appeals, who had begun to come to Greece during that period with their settlement to be continued until the beginning of 1924. Nowadays, the village is considered an important place for recreation and sport activities for inhabitants of the area, enjoying the privileged view to Mountain Vermio and the lush fields of Imathia at the same time.

Worth to visit

The resting area at the locatoin “Analips”i and the chapel of “Analipsi”.
Ιερά Μονή Θεοτόκου Καλλίπετρας.
The Monastery of Kallipetra also known as the monastery of the Macedonian Struggle is located next to Aliakmonas River in the region of Rachia. It is honoured at the birthplace of the Virgin Mary and the name Kallipetra (beautiful stone) derives from the rock that shades it (Jamala in Turkish). It is one of the oldest monasteries with the oldest indication of its existence traced back earlier than 1100. The monastery was prosperous until the end of the 18th century and had a community of 37 monks. In 1822 it was totally destroyed and the monks were beheaded by Turks. In 1907 during the Macedonian Struggle because of monks’ help towards the Greek party, priest Stavros and his companion were executed and abbot Ignatios with his companion were also convicted to death by dismemberment. In 1941 an aspiring shepherd burned all the important buildings and the church. From that time only the ossuary and the relics of about 120 monks were survived. The monastery has been recently renovated and it operates again after many years. For more information, please visit www.imverias.gr .

Important dates

8th of September
The Festival of Kallipetra at the 8th of September.
May 1st
On May 1st and and Clean Monday at the location of “Analipsi” where a large crowd gathers.
July
Clean Monday

The Carnival of Rachia, the weekend before Clean Monday.