Oikos Marathasas is a very small mountain village, with about 200 residents. It is found built on the east slope of the ravine that holds the waters of the river Setrachos, going to the dam of Kalopanagiotis.
The village “climbs” on the steep slope of the mountain, and it gives the visitors amazing views, if he is coming from the village Gerakies.
Oikos, literally “drowns” in the colours of the forest that surrounds it, and dominates the Kalopanagiotis dam, a dam that always overflows.
At the entrance of the village, there is a monument and a bust (it was once promised that a statue would be placed) to honour the hero of the community, Charalampos A. Kasparis. Behind the monument there is a small park where the visitor may have a rest, under the shade of the dense foliage of the platanus trees.
Even though its residents are very few, there are 4 churches. The main one is dedicated to Agia Varvara. It is a basilica with a gabled roof, covered in tiles. It is built of stones coming from the nearby river, which integrates it perfectly to the colours of the area. The most recent church is dedicated to Panagia Agniotissa. The oldest one is dated in the 12 century, and it is dedicated to Agios Nikolaos, and the last one which is also built recently, is dedicated to Agios Ioannis o Prodromos.
The village is affected by urbanization. Life in the mountain areas has become a lot more difficult than the old years. The people’s needs have greatly increased. There are no jobs in the area and the arable areas if land are very few. For the construction of a house, double the expenses are needed than the construction in town. The steep slopes of the mountain, are the only ones that are good for plots. However, for this to be done, the foundations of the house should be 10 metres high, to create the appropriate, flat plot for construction.
The low income of the settlers does not allow them to build new houses. If the government does not reinforce the village in terms of economy, it is sure that it will be abandoned.
We walked along the village, from edge to edge. It is so small and “gathered” that not much effort is needed. We noticed that the community must not have received any help from any supporting programmes the government put in place for the mountain areas, whereas many other villages did so. The villages in the valley of Marathasa, from Agios Demetrios until Oikos, probably did not get any help.
Upon walking along the narrow streets of Oikos, the visitor will have the opportunity to see and admire a great part of the Valley of the Setrachos river. From Moutoullas, until Kalopanagiotis, and from there his eye will “travel” to the beautiful landscapes of the dam and further.
There are agro touristic accommodations for a stay, but the appropriate arrangements should be done in advance.
The valley of Marathasa, Oikos and all the other villages of the valley are very good and accessible destinations such in the summer as in the winter.
