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
Laconia abroad on Mega Cosmos. In early 2006, flooding ruined olive and citrus crops as well as properties and villages along the Eurotas river. In the summer 2006, a terrible fire devastated a part of the Mani Peninsula, ruining forests, crops, and numerous villages. The regional unit, Laconia, is subdivided into five municipalities. These are (number as in the map in the infobox): As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, regional unit Laconia was created out of the former prefecture Laconia (). The prefecture had the same territory as the present regional unit. At the same time, the municipalities