Veria

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Statistics
Prefecture: Imathia (capital)
Province Imathia (capital)
Location:
Latitude:
Longitude:

40.5195/40°31'14" N lat.
22.103/22°12'8" E long
Population: (2001)
 - Total
 - Density¹
 - Rank

  42,794

 -/km²
Elevation:
 -lowest:
 -centre:
 -highest:

about 20 to 40 m
128 m (centre)
about 800 to 1,000 m (Vermio area)
Number of communities: -
Postal code: 591 00
Area/distance code: 11-30-23310 (030-23310)-2
Municipal code: 1806
Car designation: HM
3-letter abbreviation: VER Veria
Name of inhabitants: Verian, Verian or Berroean sing.
-s pl.
Address of administration: 30 Dimokratias St
Veria 591 00
Website: www.imathia.gr/dimoi/veria/index.htm

Veria (Greek: Βέροια - Véroia) , also called Veroia, Latin: Beroea, has a population of about 35,000. It is a commercial center of Macedonia, the capital of the prefecture of Imathia, the province of Imathia, and the seat of a bishop of the Greek Orthodox Church.

Veria sits of the site of the ancient city of Beroea (called Berea in some translations of the Bible), which was prominent from the 4th century BC and part of the Kingdom of Macedon. Part of the Roman Empire from 168 BC, both St. Paul and Silas preached there in AD 54 or 55. Diocletian made the large and populous city one of two capitals of the Roman Province of Macedonia, and it was one of the earliest cities to become the seat of a bishop. Invaded by both Serbs and Bulgars, it was conquered by the Turks in 1361 and turned into a military colony under the name of Karaferiye. It was liberated by the Greeks in the First Balkan War (1912).

Veria since the 1980s is bypassed and is linked by the superhighway linking to GR-1. GR-4/Via Egnatia runs through Veria and also the road to Edessa. It is located NE of Kozani, S of Edessa, SW of Thessaloniki, NW of Katerini, WNW of Athens and N of Larisa.

Veria has schools, lyceums, gymnasia, banks, a train station (Florina - Edessa - Veria), a sports centre, a post office, and squares (plateies).

History

Veria was the historical residence of many Jews, whose concern for careful criticism in the study of the Christian scriptures was commended by St. Paul (Acts 17:10-13). Paul withdrew to Veria with Silas and Timothy from Jewish persecution at Thessaloniki. When the persecutors followed him from Thessaloniki, he retired seawards to proceed to Athens (Acts 17:10-15). The Berean Jews were "more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word (preached) with all readiness of mind (not in a cavilling, critical spirit), and (yet not in a credulous spirit, for they) searched the Scriptures daily whether those things were so." (See Isa 8:20; John 5:39; Gal 1:8-9.) The result was necessarily, "many believed; also of honorable women, which were Greeks, and of men not a few."

Sopater, or Sosipater, one of them, became Paul's missionary companion (Acts 20:4; Rom 16:21) in returning to Asia from his second visit to Europe, where he had been with him at Corinth.

Historical population

Year Population Change Municipal population Change
1981 37,966 - - -
1991 37,858 -108/0.29% 42,910 -
2001 - - 42,794 -116/-0.27%

External links

See also