Pano Vrisi Water Spring

Pano Vrysi at Agios Spyridonas village is dated to between the 15th and the 16th century and was built by the Carpathians.

It is surrounded by large plane-trees and is characterized by a particular natural beauty.

Through time Pano Vrysi has undergone a variety of changes, but its original form has never been altered.

It is located at the center of the settlement and its water arrives there by means of a small underground tunnel with a width of 60x60cm and a length of about 150 meters.

On its journey towards the spout the water is enriched with water from small brooks and falls into a crate located about 5 metres above the spout. After this the water moves through a large tunnel, and ends up in a three-sided main reservoir which has three hemi-spherical troughs from which water flows ceaselessly. The flow of the water was so intense that it actually filled all twelve water troughs located there, troughs used to water many gardens, reaching as far as Kato Metohi.

Above the stream, at two different spots, there were two 18th century wells with water-pumping wind-mills. Local inhabitants only remember one of them.

Due to interventions, at the spot from where the fountain springs--interventions related to the cultivation of cultivating surrounding fields--, the tunnel was partially damaged, and now the water of the fountain is provided by the water from rivulets. At the top part of the fountain, about 10 metres from the place it was constructed, they created a well that fed the water-troughs by means of a new two-metre small hemi-spherical trough, which was used by inhabitants to provide water to their animals.

During the Turkish occupation a series of interventions took place on the south side of the spout.

After the withdrawal of the Turks, a coat of arms was placed at the northern side of the spout; the coat of arms contained two spears with waving flags at their tip and a large cross at their centre.

The date 1907 which appears there, does not refer to the construction of the spout but to certain alterations that took place at that time.

Source: praisos.com

Translated and edited by: Yallou