Stemnitsa

Stemnitsa, known in Antiquity as Hypsous, is a mountainous village in the municipality of Gortynia in Arcadia. Built on Mount Mainalo at an altitude of 1,083 meters, it is classified as a traditional settlement.

The area has been known since antiquity as Hypsous. According to mythology, ancient Hypsous was built by Hypsountas, one of the fifty sons of the king of Arcadia, Lycaon. Hypsountas is also mentioned by Pausanias in his Arcadica. It is unclear exactly when the name was changed to Stemnitsa, but it is believed to have occurred in the 7th century AD, after the settlement of Slavs in the area, as Stemnitsa means “wooded and shady place” in Slavic. The village flourished during the Byzantine period, when the famous Stemnitsa bells were known.