Panagia: An Urban Village within the City — Layers of Memory in Kavala’s Historic Core

As part of the ongoing INT-ACT project- Horizon project, Kavala explores the Panagia district the city—a layered and living urban heritage site at the heart of the city.

Nestled on the peninsula that once formed the locus of ancient Neapolis and the Byzantine Christoupolis, the Panagia district remains the historic heart of Kavala. Today, its narrow winding streets, Ottoman-era architecture, and stunning views over the Aegean Sea echo a complex past, one shaped by displacement, resilience, and deep-rooted belonging.

Before Kavala’s annexation to Greece in 1913, Panagia was predominantly a Muslim neighborhood in a city defined by its multicultural and multi-religious composition. With the population exchange between Greece and Turkey ratified by the Lausanne Convention in 1923, the social fabric of Panagia changed drastically. Muslim families were forced to leave their homes to go to Turkey, and in their place came Greek Orthodox refugees from Asia Minor, Pontus, and Eastern Thrace—people who had lost almost everything.

In May and June 2025, as part of INT-ACT’s ongoing fieldwork, Dr. Manolis Pratsinakis-appointed researcher to the project for Kavala conducted among others interviews with long-term residents of Panagia, descendants of these early refugees. Their voices, full of emotion and rich memory, painted a vivid picture of life in the neighborhood across generations.

They recalled growing up in an environment shaped by post-war scarcity but also defined by a strong sense of community. We recorded stories of people being raised by a network of “grannies,” as male relatives were often lost during the war or displacement. They described Panagia not merely as a neighborhood, but as an urban village within the city—a place where relationships, memories, and daily life extended far beyond the confines of individual homes. Interviewees also shared stories from their forebears, first-generation refugees, who, in the early years of settlement, were hosted in the homes left behind by departing Ottoman Muslim residents. These moments of coexistence, however brief, left traces in memory.

Despite war, occupation, and economic hardship, residents rebuilt, preserved, and added to Panagia’s architectural heritage through sheer determination and creativity, making Panagia their very own. One recurring theme was the deep emotional attachment to the neighborhood. Residents invested in Panagia not only materially, but emotionally, restoring old homes, protecting the heritage of its built environment, and sharing stories. They also spoke of their profound connection to the sea, which surrounds the peninsula and has shaped both the daily rhythms and the identity of the community.

Yet this strong connection to the neighborhood also came with challenges: the strict regulatory environment, especially after the 1970s, along with spatial seclusion and inaccessibility, eventually pushed younger generations to seek housing elsewhere in the city.

After the 1990s, it was in fact a new wave of migrants—this time from the Balkans—who helped prevent Panagia’s physical and social decline. Settling in a neighborhood otherwise at risk of depopulation, they brought new energy and life, continuing the district’s long tradition of migration, adaptation, and cultural layering.

Today, once again, the Panagia district stands at a crossroads. In recent years, it has experienced a renaissance driven by touristification, bringing fresh investment and a renewed sense of visibility. Historic buildings have been renovated, and a vibrant new image of the district is emerging. Yet this revival often comes at the expense of the local community. New property owners are frequently entrepreneurs or seasonal visitors, rather than permanent residents. Longstanding inhabitants are dwindling, and the social fabric that once held the neighborhood together is loosening. Local shops that once catered to residents’ daily needs are being replaced by bars, cafés, and short-term rental accommodations aimed at tourists. While these developments inject vitality into the local economy, they also threaten the continuity of the living community that sustained Panagia through so many upheavals.

Through the INT-ACT project, these complex and layered stories—of loss, memory, belonging, and change—are being documented and interpreted. The voices of Panagia’s residents, past and present, remind us that cultural heritage is not just about preserving stones and facades. It is about understanding and supporting the people who make meaning of place.

As we move toward the creation of immersive digital environments and a virtual eco-museum, our hope is to reflect this balance: between past and future, permanence and flux, preservation and transformation. Because Panagia is not just a tourist destination, but a living story—one that has much to teach, through the telling and retelling of its layered history.