Souroti

Souroti Σουρωτή
Central square of Souroti
Souroti
Coordinates: 40°28′N 23°04′E / 40.467°N 23.067°E / 40.467; 23.067Coordinates: 40°28′N 23°04′E / 40.467°N 23.067°E / 40.467; 23.067
Country	Greece
Administrative region	Central Macedonia
Regional unit	Thessaloniki
Municipality	Thermi
Municipal unit	Vasilika
Elevation	120 m (390 ft)
Population (2011)
• Rural	1,560
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Postal code	570 06
Area code(s)	23960
Vehicle registration	N

Souroti (Greek: Σουρωτή), a rural village in the Thessaloniki regional unit of Greece is located 25 kilometers (16 mi) outside of the city of Thessaloniki. In Greece the village is particularly known for the mineral water bottled there. Administratively it belongs to the municipality of Thermi. St. John the Theologian Convent is situated there, associated with the name of a famous Orthodox religious author and ascetic of 20th century, St. Paisios of Mount Athos.

Souroti is an immigrant's village, one of the many that were established in Greek Macedonia after the Balkan wars and the population exchange between Greece and Turkey. Shortly before 1912 the area was called "Surukli" (from the Turkish suru which means heard) and was owned by five Turkish land owners (Τσιφλικάδες) who sold their land to Jews from Thessaloniki. The first Greeks that settled in the area were a vlach family from Vlasti of the Kozani regional unit, the Christos Lolas' family. Although they were originally shepherds, the family sold their sheep to buy the land from the Jews. In 1914 forty families of arvanites came from Mandritsa (Μανδρίτσα) in North Thrace following a Bulgarian invasion in their home village. Most of them were bilingual in Greek and Arvanitika. Their primary occupation was sericulture and they moved to Souroti to take advantage of the local mulberries. At the same time they maintained trade bonds with Jewish silk producers in Thrace. In 1922, after the population exchange between Greece and Turkey about 48 families arrived from Asia Minor originating from Izmir (Σμύρνη), Aydin (Αϊδίνιο), Cius (Κίος), Mudanya (Μουδανιά) and also from Eastern Thrace. Those were educated and they carried their own traditions. In Souroti they worked in sericulture, olive oil production and vine dressing. Between 1928 and 1930 more vlach shepherds came from Vlasti along with 4-5 families of Sarakatsanoi (Σαρακατσάνοι). Land was distributed to the immigrants by the Greek state first in 1914 and later in 1932.