1. History

The village is situated approximately 15 km west of Thebes. The origin of the settlement’s name remains unknown. The region is strongly marked by the memory of Oedipus, since it was probably the area where, at some crossroads of the road that passes under Phagas, stood the fabled Sphinx, killing the travellers who could not solve her puzzles. Oedipus was not only able to answer, but also took advantage of her surprise and killed her, relieving the citizens of Thebes once and for all from her presence.

The first historical mention of Vagia comes from the 13^th century. During the Frankish period, the village of Vagia was a feud, belonging to Frankish nobles. After the Ottomans occupied the area in 1460, the settlement was given as a timarion. However, it must have been abandoned already from the 17^th century, if we accept the testimony of George Wheler, who visited the area in 1676; he refers to an abandoned village, located one mile east of the area called Mazaraki, where there was a nunnery of the same name. During the 18^th and 19^th century, the area must have been inhabited once again, probably by farmers, as it is testified that during the Greek Revolution the inhabitants actively participated in the liberation cause. Some well-known fighters of the revolution came from Vagia, such as Mitros Biniaris, Athanasios Tzonaras, Ioannis Protopappas. After the founding of the Greek State, Vagia became the seat of the municipality of Thespies in the province of Thebes with 635 residents, in 1851. This number gradually increased, and in 1928 the village had 2.750 inhabitants. Nowadays the population of Vagia is 4.509 people. The city of Vagia includes the village with the same name and is one of the largest cities within the province of Thebes.

During the Ottoman period there was a small village called Kasnesi very close to Vagia, where the products of the Vagia timarion were initially being stored. Later on it became a village, probably because the workers settled down around the storage facilities. According the 1851 census, 336 people lived in the village, while in 1928 their number rose to 506 people. However, later, it appears that this village was merged together with Vagia.

2. Buildings and monuments

2.1. The monastery of St John Thelogos (Mazaraki)

In Vagia we find the post-Byzantine monastery of St John Theologos, also known as Mazaraki, founded in the 16^th century. During the Greek Revolution it was the heart of rebel activity in the region. After the liberation of the area from the Ottomans, the monastery reopened until 1833, when it fell victim to King Otto’s “persecution” of all orthodox monasteries. In 1969 it reopened again as a convent and now houses 24 nuns.

2.2. Free Churches of Pentecost

The first Church of Pentecost of Greece was founded in Vagia in 1924 by Dimitrios Katritsiotis and Ioannis Tzelos, citizens of Vagia, former emigrants to America. Today there are two churches of Pentecost in Vagia.

2.3. The Olive Press

The olive press of the village has been declared a historic monument by the Ministry of Culture, due to its connection to the economy and production of the village, but primarily because of its role in the history of the cooperative movement.