High above Athens looms Mount Pentelicus. It is more than just a mountain. It is a source of legends and history. Today we explore Penteli.
Penteli is a village and a municipality. It resides in the North Athens regional unit. Penteli gets its name from Mount Pentelicus. This mountain is famous for its marble. That marble built the Parthenon. It also built the Tower of the Winds.
Imagine the ancient quarry workers. They toiled to extract the Pentelic marble. Romans also valued this area. They constructed a 140-foot water tower. It supplied water to Athens. Penteli was an ancient town.
The Duchess of Plaisance played a role here. During the Greek War of Independence she supported the revolutionaries. She bought land in Athens and on Mount Penteli. She commissioned the Rododafni Castle.
In 1995, a devastating forest fire struck Penteli. There were more fires in 2007. The forests suffered greatly.
Penteli has some interesting sights. There is the Monastery of Penteli. The Rododafni Castle is also here. It is also known as Pyrgos Doukissis Plakentias. The Penteli Astronomical Station is another notable site. It was completed in 1936.
Let’s talk about the municipality of Penteli. In 2011, three municipalities merged. They were Melissia, Nea Penteli, and Penteli. These became municipal units.
Nea Penteli sits at the foot of the Penteli mountains. It is a small village. A hill named Profitis Ilias stands at its center.
Mount Pentelicus separates the Athenian valley from the Evia coast. It reaches 1,109 meters at its peak. It is called Pyrgari. The mountain’s shape makes it easy to recognize.
The ancient name for the mountain was Vrilissos. The suburbs around the mountain include Old Penteli. Also New Penteli, Melissia, and Vrilissia.
Ekali is another area near Penteli. Myth says Ekali gave refuge to Theseus. He was on his way to defeat the Bull of Marathon.
Mount Pentelicus has white rocky terrain. Pine forests cover its lower slopes. Ravines like Chalandri Ravine originate here. Athenians have long enjoyed Penteli. People thought its climate could cure tuberculosis.
From Byzantine times, it became a Christian hermitage. The Monastery of Daou Penteli is significant. The Penteli Observatory stands on Koufos hill.
The Duchess of Placentia’s gothic palace is nearby. It is called Castello of Rhododaphne. Her daughter Eliza died from a lung condition. The Duchess kept Eliza’s body embalmed. A fire destroyed the remains. The Duchess turned to new spiritual beliefs. She believed finishing the Castello would cause her death. Construction stopped in 1847.
An urban legend connects the Duchess to the robber Davelis. He supposedly reached her through underground passages. Others link her to the robber Bibisis. He kidnapped her. She helped him get amnesty.
The Cave of Penteli is located southwest of the mountain. It was discovered during marble extraction. It was a religious center. People considered it the operating ground of Davelis.
Some report metaphysical experiences in the cave. Electromagnetic disturbances and memory loss are reported. Secret military works caused damage in the 1970s. Urban legends place black magic rituals here in the 1980s.
Mount Pentelicus has suffered from quarrying. This altered the mountain’s face. Uncontrolled development continues to traumatize the area. Wildfires frequently occur. Still, Mount Pentelicus remains an important area. It has impressive biodiversity.
From its ancient marble quarries to its more recent history Penteli is a place where myth and history become one.