Petrades

Petrades is a traditional village of Evros, very close to Turkey. Together with the neighboring village of Pythio, they are the easternmost land areas of Greece.

The village of Petrades is one of the oldest in the region. According to a version, the first inhabitants of the village came from northern Epirus. For their presence in the wider area of Thrace, there are two theories. One says that groups of Epirotes artisans, organized in guilds, with excellent knowledge of the art of building crossed the Greek space by building bridges, houses, etc. Therefore, it is likely that they arrived wandering in the area and some of them (maybe because they have discovered the abundant stone area) settled permanently in Petrades.

The second version refers to the forcible transfer of groups of artisans from Northern Epirus to Adrianoupolis to rebuild it after the destruction by the great fire.

The village’s name came from the Turkish name Tachtsiar – Arnavutköy, meaning the artisans of stone, Petrades (in Greek).

At the village square is located the church of the Assumption of the Virgin, which by the inscription on the temple was built in 1876. The abundant building stone from the quarries of the village and the art of Petradiotes (residents of Petrades) created the three-aisled basilica with columns of oak, which were covered with goat hair and plaster to become cylindrical dividing the church into three parts.