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 Location |
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Kassos is the southernmost island of the Dodecanese. It is six miles north-west of Karpathos and 38 miles east of Crete. To the north of Kassos there are five tiny islands which are called Koskino, Armathia, Pentekonisia, Litra and Makra.
Kassos has an area of 66 sq. km.
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 Population |
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Kassos has a population of about 1.100 inhabitants
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 History |
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The Phoenicians were the first inhabitants of Kassos. Thereafter the island's history was similar to that of the rest of the Dodecanese and particularly of neighbouring Karpathos. What must be stressed out about Kassos is its maritime power, which was already apparent in 1779 when a French traveller, visiting the island, described it as "a small maritime state, maintained by shipping and trade, particularly with Syria".
When the Revolution of 1821 against the Turks began in Greece, Kasios provided 22 three-masted warships and 60 merchantmen, most of which were armed. This fleet, which anchored in summer at the islet of Armathia and in winter at Tristomo on Karpathos, began to be serious harassment to the Sultan and Ibrahim Pasha, who after on failed attempt succeeeded in taking the island on 7th June 1824. Very few of the inhabitants escaped the slaughter which followed, and the whole of Kassos was burned. This was the Holocaust, the anniversary of which is observed every year.
Kassos' union with the Greek state took place in 1948
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 Religion |
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This topic is not island-specific. It applies to the nation of Greece.
Orthodox Christianity is the recognized dominant religion of Greece and it is legally protected by the state. This has caused legal discrimination against non-Orthodox Churches, and although the constitution of 1975 removed the power of most of the old laws against Protestants, problems still exist today. There is a lot of fear towards anything outside of the Orthodox Church, especially on the islands. However, repeated rulings of the European Court of Justice in favour of religious minorities in cases of discrimination have led to a relative increase of the freedoms that these religious minorities now enjoy.
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 Saints |
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Monastary of St. George (which has a large guesthouse!!)
Ag. Mamas (icon is miracle one and helps everyone with deep faith! Three ships of stone???)
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 Miscellaneous |
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Most inhabitants of Kasos are farmers, stockbreeders and fisherman. The folklore features that are present on Karpathos are equally marked on Kassos, though here the influence of neighbouring Crete is more apparent
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 Celebrations |
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On the 7th of June a lot of visitors, most of them Greek-Americans from New York are coming to observe, together with the very few permanent residents, Kassos' most important anniverary, that of the ‚Holocaust'. See also the history
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 Resources |
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www.greektravel.com
www.in2greece.com
http://www.dilos.com/region/dodecan/kassos.html
www.kassos-island.gr
777 wonderful greek islands; Yiannis Desypris; ISBN960-7504-08-9
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