The Saint, the Names & the Ghosts of the River - Nikolaos Stamkopoulos

Following the study "Seeking the Forty Vantses," which dealt with the past of the broader area of Upper and Lower Komi, this study attempts to shed light on more specific areas of interest. It presents the history of personal names in the region as well as the names of churches, examining the relationship of the area with the Aliakmon River and answering questions such as the paradox of the patron saint of the mainland Kozani being Saint Nicholas.

This book references the phenomena of religious syncretism and hybridism, focusing on specific examples from the coastal area from the Middle Ages to the present. It also discusses the evolution of baptismal names in the settlements of Upper and Lower Komi Kozani, as well as how most surnames of today's residents originated. Indirectly, it explores the evolution of baptismal names throughout the entire valley of the middle course of the Aliakmon, from the 15th century to today.

It tries to answer questions such as: Why do settlements remote from the sea, like Kozani, have Saint Nicholas as their patron saint? Who was this Saint and why was he so important to the Christians of the Aliakmon valley? Why, despite the great and long popularity of Saint Nikanor north of the Aliakmon and Saint Dionysius of Olympus south of the river, did no layperson bear their names in the respective areas until recently? Why does the Aliakmon valley abound with churches and chapels dedicated to Saint Nicholas, while they are scarce in the area of Elassona and Western Olympus? Why do churches of Saint Anthony appear frequently in Eastern Thessaly and Central Macedonia, while they are few in Western Macedonia? Where was the famous coastal ghost settlement S. Nicolo that appears on Renaissance maps? Who was the first patron saint of the coastal Veroia and how is it connected to the current patron saint Saint Anthony? Why was the episcopal church of Servia named "Basilica of the Catechumens" and which Saint was it dedicated to when it was built?

In any case, it opens a crack for light for anyone searching for answers about the dark medieval and early Ottoman past of the Aliakmon valley and creates questions for anyone who takes certain things for granted.

Nikos Stamkopoulos was born and raised in Kozani, from where he left at the age of nineteen for studies. Since then, he has been returning and leaving again due to work. He has roots in Xyrolimni and Upper Komi. He graduated from the Polytechnic School of Xanthi in 2004 and from the Department of Balkan Studies of Florina in 2011. As a licensed Environmental Engineer, he works in environmental management of technical projects, as well as health and safety on construction sites. Amateurly, he is involved in Balkan Anthropology, Historical Linguistics, and previously Byzantine iconography and mountain hiking. His interests include public health issues, as well as History, mainly local history and medieval Balkan history. He is married and has one son.