Velanidia, Laconia an observatory. Velanidia has an important distinction because of its Byzantine churches. Churches like those of Saint Constantine, Saint Panteleimon and Saint John has several wall paintures where we can observe the fidelity of figures. For photos, click here. From Velanidia you can visit the north side of Cape Maleas and its lighthouse, which was built in 1860 and it's the oldest at Mediterranean sea. For photos, click here. Velanidia, Laconia Velanidia () is a Byzantine village in Laconia, Greece, within the municipality of Monemvasia. Also, it is situated at the southern edge of Peloponnese and more specifically at the
Metamorfosi, Laconia were responsible for much of the economic and cultural improvements in the area. This is exemplified by the systematic cultivation of the olive tree and the growth of the population in Katavothra, which by 1700 had risen to 128, comprising thirty-two families, compared with fifteen families seventy years earlier. The Turks reclaimed Laconia in 1715. In 1770, the enslaved Greeks rebelled under the protection of Russia. The Peloponnesus, especially Laconia and Messinia fought courageously, but the Turks called for the help of Turkish Albanians; the Arvanites, who brought immense devastation to the Greek uprisers by burning whole villages to the