Sarti Before the Arrival of the Afisia Refugees
Ancient and Byzantine SartiAncient Sarti
Located on the second peninsula of Halkidiki, Sithonia, the ancient city of Sarti was founded during the 8th century BC by settlers from Chalcis, who established a number of colonies along the coastline of the region. According to tradition, the city was named after King Sartios, while Sithonia itself takes its name from the mythical Sithon, son of Poseidon.
In 480 BC, according to the ancient historian Herodotus, the fleet of the Persian king Xerxes sailed past Sarti during his campaign against Greece.
Towards the end of the 5th century BC, Sarti joined other cities of Halkidiki in forming the Chalcidian League, a powerful federation led by Olynthus, which was dissolved by the Spartans in 379 BC.
Sarti later became a member of the Second Athenian League. A few decades afterwards, like many other cities of Halkidiki, it was destroyed by the armies of Philip II of Macedon during the expansion of the Macedonian kingdom. Despite its destruction, archaeological evidence shows that the city was not abandoned and continued to be inhabited in the centuries that followed.
Recent archaeological excavations have uncovered significant remains of ancient Sarti, confirming the location of the city and shedding new light on previously unknown aspects of its history.
Byzantine Sarti
Centuries later, during the 14th century AD, historical sources mention a settlement in the same area known as "Ho Sartis" ("The Sartis"), which formed part of the estates of the Xeropotamou Monastery on Mount Athos.
The settlement was probably abandoned during the 17th century as a result of repeated pirate raids, forcing its inhabitants to relocate to the safer neighbouring village of Sykia.
From that time until the beginning of the 20th century, the area's only permanent residents were the monks and workers of the two Athonite monastic estates belonging to Xeropotamou Monastery and Agios Pavlos Monastery, which owned the entire area of present-day Sarti.
The exact location of Byzantine Sarti remains unknown.
For centuries, the monastic estates of Xeropotamou Monastery and Agios Pavlos Monastery served as the administrative and economic centre of the region and are closely connected with the origins of modern Sarti.
The rebirth of Sarti
New Afisia and Modern SartiArrival of the First Group of Refugees
The first refugee families arrived from Lavrio and were temporarily accommodated in the buildings of the Xeropotamou Monastery estate.
Arrival of the Second Group of Refugees
The second group of refugees settled in tents on the site where today's new Primary School now stands.
The Settlement of Nea Afissia Is Established
With the completion of the first houses, the refugee families moved into their new homes in the settlement of Nea Afissia.
Nea Afissia Is Renamed Sarti
By Presidential Decree of 2 February 1929 (Government Gazette A' 44/1929), the settlement of Nea Afissia was officially recognised as an independent community under its historic name, Sarti.
New Afisia
In this remote yet beautiful place, whose landscape closely resembled the homeland they had lost, the refugees from Afissia chose to build a new beginning, establishing one of the twenty-seven refugee settlements created in Halkidiki after the Asia Minor Catastrophe.
To honour the memory of their ancestral homeland, they gave their new settlement a familiar and deeply symbolic name: Nea Afissia ("New Afissia").
On Christmas Eve 1924, the first families arrived from Lavrio and found temporary shelter in the monastery estate, where they remained for almost two years. Enduring hunger, malaria and the hardships of refugee life, they waited until the construction of their new homes was completed.
Without realising it, the Refugee Settlement Commission (RSC) planned and built the new village directly above the site of ancient Sarti—a fact confirmed decades later through archaeological excavations.
Within only a few decades, the people of Afissia transformed this once harsh yet captivating landscape into a thriving fishing village and, eventually, into one of Halkidiki's most popular tourist destinations.
A Journey Through Time from the Photographic Archives of the Sarti Historical & Folklore Museum
Photographs from the 1940s–1960s
Sarti today
Sarti is a place where history and nature come together in perfect harmony. The deep blue waters of the Aegean Sea, golden sandy beaches, pine-covered mountains and the striking landscape of Sithonia create a destination of exceptional natural beauty.
Today, Sarti is one of Halkidiki's leading tourist destinations, welcoming visitors from around the world while preserving its authentic character, rich traditions and the warm Greek hospitality that has always defined it.
