Merbaka
Encyclopedia
Merbaka but officially Agia Trias (Αγία Τρίας, "Holy Trinity"), is a village in the province of Argolis
, in the Peloponnese
near Argos
, Greece
.
Merbaka is thought to have been named for William of Moerbeke
, a 13th-century Roman Catholic
archbishop
of Corinth
, scholar and Philhellene from Flanders
. A roughly contemporaneous Byzantine-Gothic Church of the Dormition in the village may have been built under his auspices.
Merbaka's official name likely stems from the inclusion of three "saints" on a re-used Classical
pediment on the thirteenth-century church: Villagers likely interpreted these figures as a representation of the Holy Trinity, and unofficially renamed the church to reflect this; in time, the name was applied to the village itself. This older church includes other recycled antiquities like a Roman dedication, in Latin, to Quintus Metellus, a Roman proconsul
in Greece who was noted for his suppression of piracy
.
The modern church of the Holy Trinity, first erected in 1898, was torn down and rebuilt in 1934. A plaque on the front of the belltower says that the clock was donated 1952.
Merbaka is part of the municipal unit of Midea
. According to the 2001 Greek census
, the village had a population of 1,267 inhabitants.
Argolis
Argolis is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Peloponnese. It is situated in the eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula.-Geography:...
, in the Peloponnese
Peloponnese
The Peloponnese, Peloponnesos or Peloponnesus , is a large peninsula , located in a region of southern Greece, forming the part of the country south of the Gulf of Corinth...
near Argos
Argos
Argos is a city and a former municipality in Argolis, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Argos-Mykines, of which it is a municipal unit. It is 11 kilometres from Nafplion, which was its historic harbour...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
.
Merbaka is thought to have been named for William of Moerbeke
William of Moerbeke
Willem van Moerbeke, O.P., known in the English speaking world as William of Moerbeke was a prolific medieval translator of philosophical, medical, and scientific texts from Greek into Latin...
, a 13th-century Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of Corinth
Corinth
Corinth is a city and former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Corinth, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit...
, scholar and Philhellene from Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
. A roughly contemporaneous Byzantine-Gothic Church of the Dormition in the village may have been built under his auspices.
Merbaka's official name likely stems from the inclusion of three "saints" on a re-used Classical
Classical antiquity
Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, collectively known as the Greco-Roman world...
pediment on the thirteenth-century church: Villagers likely interpreted these figures as a representation of the Holy Trinity, and unofficially renamed the church to reflect this; in time, the name was applied to the village itself. This older church includes other recycled antiquities like a Roman dedication, in Latin, to Quintus Metellus, a Roman proconsul
Proconsul
A proconsul was a governor of a province in the Roman Republic appointed for one year by the senate. In modern usage, the title has been used for a person from one country ruling another country or bluntly interfering in another country's internal affairs.-Ancient Rome:In the Roman Republic, a...
in Greece who was noted for his suppression of piracy
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
.
The modern church of the Holy Trinity, first erected in 1898, was torn down and rebuilt in 1934. A plaque on the front of the belltower says that the clock was donated 1952.
Merbaka is part of the municipal unit of Midea
Midea, Greece
Midea is a village and a former municipality in Argolis, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Nafplio, of which it is a municipal unit. with a population of 6,724...
. According to the 2001 Greek census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, the village had a population of 1,267 inhabitants.