Jorgucat

Jorgucat (Albanian definite form: Jorgucati; Greek: Γεωργουτσάτι/Γεωργουτσάτες; romanized: Georgoutsáti/Georgoutsátes) is a village in Gjirokastër County, southern Albania.^[1] At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality of Dropull.^[2] It is inhabited solely by Greeks.^[3]

Jorgucat Γεωργουτσάτες
Village
Jorgucat
Coordinates: 39°56′07″N 20°15′49″E
Country	Albania
County	Gjirokastër
Municipality	Dropull
Elevation	290 m (950 ft)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)

Demographics

In the Ottoman register of 1520 for the Sanjak of Avlona, Jorgucat (Gjerkucat) was attested a village in the timar under the authority of Ali from Damas. The village had a total of 71 households. The anthroponymy attested largely belonged to the Albanian onomastic sphere, characterised by personal names such as Bardh, Deda, Gjin, Laluç, Gurmir, Gjon, Kola, Leka and others.^[4]

According to Ottoman statistics, the village had 449 inhabitants in 1895.^[5] The village had 1,015 inhabitants in 1993, all ethnically Greeks.^[3]

Location

The village Jorgucat is one of the main settlements in the southern part of Dropull valley. It's located between the villages of Zervat to the south and Grapsh to the north. Jorgucat is situated at a cross-road which joins Ioannina, Gjirokastër and Sarandë.^[6]

Name

The village received its name Jorgucat (Georgoutsates) as the result of the conversion of a surname to a toponym. In particurlar the name Georgoutsates applies to the descendants of a certain Georgoutsos.^[6]

History

According to a local tradition Jorgucat was once called Gonates, a village mentioned in the Chronicle of Gjirokastër during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Alexios Komnenos (11th century). However, this theory remains disputed. Other accounts claim that the foundation of the settlement dates back to the first years of Ottoman rule (15th century). The village under its current name is recorded in an Ottoman document of 1520.^[6] That year it consisted of 62 households.^[7]

Jorgucat suffered dramatic population decline from the 17th to the first half of the 19th century.^[8]

During 2014-2015 the village witnessed various instances of vandalism by Albanian nationalist element; such as the looting of the Hellenistic era tombs and the vandalism of the church of Saint George.^[9]

Monastery of Prophet Elias

The Monastery of the Prophet Elias next to the village is situated on a natural elevation in the mountain range of Mali i Gjerë named Hilomodhi, on the Marantoraq peak. According to a local tradition the monastery was founded in the 12th century, supposedly built by giants. Documentary and architectural evidence, however, supports that the year of its foundation was 1545. The monastery was repaired and enlarged several times between the 17th and 19th centuries. In the 20th century it was closed down by the authorities of the Albanian state.^[10]

Notable individuals

• Kosmas Thesprotos (c. 1780–1852), Greek scholar, priest and theologian
• Vangjel Tavo (17 December 1969), politician who was elected mayor of Himarë in 2024

References

1. "Location of Jorgucat".
2. "Law nr. 115/2014" (PDF) (in Albanian). p. 6371. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
3. Kallivretakis, Leonidas (1995). "Η Ελληνική Κοινότητα της Αλβανίας υπό το Πρίσμα της Ιστορικής Γεωγραφίας και Δημογραφίας [The Greek Community of Albania in Terms of Historical Geography and Demography]" (in Greek). Εκδόσεις Σιδέρης. p. 58. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
4. Duka, Ferit (1990). "La Realite Ethnique De Dropull Dans Les Sources Historiques Du XVI Siecle". Studia Albanica (2): 25–26. ll de noms caractéristique de l'espace albanais comme Gjin, Gjon, Gjinush, Dedush, Mardin, Dode, Dede, Llesh, Shtin (Ashtin), Bardh, Menksh, Lush (Lesh), Leka, Lekush, Lekosh, Uk (çe), Gjokë, Bac, Progor, Mara, Kole, Like, Kama, Kanan, Mirash, etc., que l'on rencontre fréquemment soit comme des noms de famille, soit comme des prénoms dans les villages de la région en question. Deuxièmement, la présence pour ainsi dire complète de la variante albanaise de l'antroponymie orthodoxe dans l'autre partie des noms de la population de Dropull. Voire dans maintes occasions certains éléments de cette antroponymie se présentent semblables à celle albanaise catholique de l'Albanie Centrale et Septentrionale. Ainsi, par exemple, de nombreux habitants de Dropull portaient des noms comme Nika (au lieu de Niko), Pétri, Petre (au lieu de Petro), Lazer, (au lieu de Lazer), Dhima (au lieu de Dhimo), Jorgjeç (au 3. Defteri mufassal-i liva-i Avlonya, sene, 1520, in Istanbul Basbakanlik Osmanli Arsivi, Taputahrir Defterleri, nr.99. lieu de Jorgo ou Jorgji), MM (au lieu de Mile ou Milo), Kond (au lieu de Kondo), etc. Dans cet ordre d'idées, il faut souligner qu'outre quelque cas sporadïques (à titre d'exemple mentionnons ici les noms Dimos, Dhimos etc.,) l'on ne trouve nulle part dans le registre des traces de la présence de l'influence de l'antroponymie grecque, dont le trait distinctif est le fait que les noms se terminent avec un s_ à la fin (par exemple: Andréas, Kostas, Panajotis, etc.). Outre cela, dans les listes nominales des villages de Dropull inscrits dans ce registre, l'on constate que ne sont, pas rares les influences slaves, issues des différentes occupations de cette région au cours de l'histoire. A ce sujet, nous pouvons mentionner non seulement quelques noms et prénoms proprement slaves comme (Bozic, Stojko, Andrica, Petko, Deniq, etc.) mais aussi quelques noms et prénoms ayant une telle origine (Zhupa, Zhupani). Troisièmement; certains chefs de famille portent des noms et des prénoms proprement albanais comme (Bardh, Prifti, Dedaprifti, Bishani, Ballç, Pupli, Palla, Pala, Lamiri, Djaloshi, Çukli, Ferra, Mani, Kali, Laluçi (Laloçi), Demiri, Dragoi, Xhur-a, Stani, Putra, Gërxha, Lopësi, Rripas, Gurmina, etc., ce qui témoigne du fait que la population de cette région jusqu'à cette époque (1520) était une population qui parlait albanais...Village Gjerkucat (Jorgucat-F.D), dans le quartier de Dropull dépendant du district de Gjirokaster (F.D), timar d'Ali ci-dessus mentionné 1 - Kosta Leka 23 - Gjon Menksh 2 - Gjergji Deniq 24 - Petraq Qira 3 - Menksha Deniq 25 - Deniq Tupica 4 - - - 26 - Qira Nika 5 - Dhimo Papa 27 - Nika Qira 6 - Gjin Deda 28 - Tupe Gjon 7 - Nika Kosta 29 - Deda Tupe 8 - Qesar Dhima 30 - Llaqi Pir i 9 - Deniq Gjin 31 - Niko Menksh 10 - Dhima Tupe 32 - Nika Dhima 11 - Qesar Gjon 33 - Gjin Reç 12 - Gjon Dhima 34 - Leka Dhima 13 - Gjon Deniq 35 - Dhima Pash(Jashi) 14 - Sharra(?) Deniq 36 - Jani Laska 15 - Nika Papa 37 - Dhimo Mara 16 - Gjon Papa 38 - Tupe Gjon 17 - Mili Dhima 39 - Kond Kamona 18 - Zhupa Dhima 40 - Deda Dhima 19 - Llaqi Menksh 41 - Reç Gjin 20 - Deda Laskari 42 - Dhima Gjin 21 - Leka Deda 43 - Deniq Lala 22 - Nika Kamona 44 - Tupe Lala 45 - Tole Bria(?) 64 - Terrain de Kosta Vajza, en 46 - Todër Tupe possession de Deniq Vajza 47 - Guma (I) Vreto 65 - Terrain de Dhimo, en 48 - Qiriaq Lazr possession de Saruçi 49 - Gjon Zhupan 66 - Terrain de Deda Kristo, en 50 - Nika Pétri possession de Kond Leka 51 - Nika Papa 67 - Terrain de Dhima Jani, en 52 - Deda Papa possession de Todri 53 - Menksh Llaq 68 - Terrain de Nika, en 54 - (I)Vreto Guma possession d'Ali 55 - Papa Andria 69 - Terrain de Qesar Deda, en 56 - Nika Deda possession de Lil Krina 57 - Guma Deda 70 - Terrain de Kola Guma, en 58 - Terrain de Nika Lazri, en possession de Lil Krina possession de Guma Papa 71 - La veuve de Tode Alaquri 59 - Terrain d'Aleks, en avec son terrain possession de Kond Deda 60 - Terrain de (I) Vreto, en possession de Tupe Llaqi 61 - Terrain de possession Todri, en de Leka 62 - Terrain de Ngjela, en possession d'Ali 63 - Terrain de Dhima Jan
5. Μιχάλης Κοκολάκης, "Η τουρκική στατιστική της Ηπείρου στο Σαλναμέ του 1895" στο Βασίλης Παναγιωτόπουλος, Λεωνίδας Καλλιβρετάκης, Δημήτρης Δημητρόπουλος, Μιχάλης Κοκολάκης και Ευδοκία Ολυμπίτου (επιμ.), Πληθυσμοί και οικισμοί του ελληνικού χώρου. Ιστορικά μελετήματα, Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Ερευνών/Εθνικό Ίδρυμα Ερευνών, Athens 2003, p. 278
6. Giakoumis, 2002, p. 77
7. Giakoumis, 2002, p. 78
8. Giakoumis, 2002, p. 80
9. Giakoumis, Konstantinos (6 June 2020). "The policy of non-discrimination and the protection of minority cultural heritage in Albania". International Journal of Cultural Policy. 26 (4): 490–509. doi:10.1080/10286632.2019.1567722. S2CID 150417947. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
10. Giakoumis, 2002, p. 126

Sources

• Giakoumis, Konstantinos (2002). "The Monasteries of Jorgucat and Vanishtë in Dropull and of Spelaio in Lunxhëri as Monuments and Institutions During the Ottoman Period in Albania (16th-19th Centuries)". ResearchGate. University of Birmingham. Retrieved 29 July 2019.*

External links

• Photo compilation of the village