Agistri History

The history of Agistri dates back to ancient years when the island was known as Kekrifalia (meaning embellished head). According to Greek mythology, the goddess Aphaia hid in the sea caves of the island, to escape from fishermen. The goddess Artemis, seeking to help Aphaia, gave her a crown of flowers to wear on her head, so that she wouldn’t be recognized. As such, the original name of the island was born.

Archaeological excavations suggest that the first traces of human inhabitancy on Agistri are 2,500 years old. The island has been mentioned in some important literary works, one of those being the Iliad of Homer. The poet writes about its contribution to the Trojan War as an ally of Aegina. Thucydides and Diodoros also spoke of the island, using its original name. Along with Aegina and its neighboring islands, Agistri was part of the Aegina Kingdom governed by King Aeakos.

In Medieval times, Agistri followed the historical course of all of Greece: at first, it was part of the Byzantine Empire and then it was conquered by Ottomans. At the end of the 17th century, the island was inhabited by Arvanites who came from the opposite coasts of the Peloponnese and Sterea. Due to constant pirate raids, the inhabitants were forced to move further south, establishing the village of Limenaria. In 1772, 411 men led by famed rebel Mitromaras were killed by the Turks, after attempting a revolution. Their remains were placed in a stone tomb known as the Monument of the Fallen, which stands in the courtyard of Agioi Anargyroi in Skala.

Like the rest of the Saronic islands, Agistri was part of the first modern Greek State formed after the Independence War of 1821. A Royal Decree in 1835 declared the island an official community with 248 permanent residents. In the early 1970s, electricity was introduced to the island and an asphalt road was constructed. In 2011, the island was reconstituted as a Municipality. Today, the economy of Agistri is mostly based on tourism and agriculture. New ports were opened in Megalochori in 2006 and in Skala in 2019, contributing to the development of the island’s tourism industry.