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... REGION: Peloponnese ... Prefecture: Messinia ... / City of Kalamata \ ... The capital of the province of Messinia has 44.052 residents and it is built ïn the eastern part of the inmost part of the Messinian Gulf, at the foot of Mount Taygetos. It extends to a great length and has a Beach of 4 km with crystal clear waters. It was founded, according to local tradition, in the mid-2nd century A.D. during the Homeric years by Fari, the son of Hermes and Filodameas, and was firstly named Farai while its contemporary name, according to tradition, comes from an icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Kalomata Virgin Mary. In the years of the Franks, Kalamata, the basis of the barony, became an important centre of medieval civilization, while in its castle, which had been an acropolis for the ancient Faron and restored by the Franks, the prince and occcupant (1289-1307) of Moreas, Vileardouinos the 2nd (1246-1278), father of the princess Izambo, was born. During the Turkish rule, it became an important financial centre with Panayiotis Benakis, the most famous of its noblemen, along with the Mavromichalis family from Mani. Those become the organisers of the Revolution in 1770, the well-known Orlofikon. On the 23rd of March in 1821, the Greek Revolution was declared at the church of St. Apostles against the turkish invader by Petrobeis Mavromichali the bey of free Mani. Today, Kalamata is a contemporary city which has been rebuilt after the disastrous earthquake on the 13th September 1986. It has recreation facilities, parks and sports facilities where athletes of individual and team sports prepare in order to take part in international competitions like the weightlifters and the athletics team who won gold medals in the Olympic Games of Atlanda. There are also congress halls, hotels, marinas, campsites and rooms to rent.

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