Kechries (, rarely Κεχρεές) is a village in the municipality of Corinth in Corinthia in Greece, part of the community of Xylokeriza. Population 319 (2021).

Early Christian presence

Christianity also arrived at Kenchreai early in the religion's history. According to , the Apostle Paul stopped at Kenchreai during his second missionary journey, where he had his hair cut to fulfil a vow, probably a Nazirite vow. Paul mentions the place and a woman named Phoebe in the local assembly in his epistle to the Romans ().

A later ecclesiastical tradition recorded the existence of a bishop at Kenchreai, but the veracity of these accounts is hard to establish.

Medieval period

Historical and geographical texts of the Byzantine and post-Byzantine eras indicate that Kenchreai was still used by travellers and Imperial expeditions. While the ancient harbour could still receive ship traffic after antiquity, the archaeological evidence for medieval occupation is thin, and any permanent settlement must have been smaller than in ancient times.

Modern period

A small harbor facility operated during early modern times, mostly serving to export local produce, including grains, citrus fruit, and tomatoes.

Archaeological work

The ancient harbor was partly excavated in 1962-1969 by a team sponsored by the Athens-based American School of Classical Studies under the general direction of Robert Scranton. Excavations have uncovered several buildings that attest to the commercial vitality of the port throughout the Roman Empire and into the 7th century, when maritime activity and local habitation apparently diminished. The most impressive buildings located at the north and south ends of the harbor include blocks of rooms near the waterfront (probably warehouses); fishtanks; monumental complexes decorated with sculpted marble (possibly sanctuaries of Aphrodite and of Isis whose cults the 2nd-century writer Pausanias attests at the town), mosaic pavements, and wall-painting (either sacred structures, lavish seaside villas, or rich public benefactions); and a Christian basilica. Most distinctive among the many discoveries was over a hundred fourth-century panels in glass opus sectile found in their original packing crates and awaiting installation in a possible sanctuary of Isis whose great annual festival is the scene of the climax of Apuleius' novel "Metamorphosis" which tells the story of a man turned into a donkey and back again (thanks to the intervention of the goddess). The Chicago team published six volumes about the architecture, glass panels, pottery, coins, lamps and furniture pieces from the excavations. Material from the excavations is stored in the Archaeological Museum of Isthmia, where some of it is on display. The American Excavations at Kenchreai are now directed by Joseph L. Rife, whose team has begun to re-evaluate the discoveries in the 1960s and to complete their study and publication.

Since 2002, survey and excavation jointly sponsored by the American School of Classical Studies and the Greek Ministry of Culture has explored the area immediately north of the harbour on the low coastal ridge called Koutsongila. These investigations concentrated on a vast cemetery of Early Roman chamber tombs and Roman to Early Byzantine cist graves, an opulent residential quarter facing seaward, and other large structures overlooking the harbour. The bountiful artifacts and structures found both at the harbour and on Koutsongila reveal the considerable wealth of local residents, including several objects of exceptional artistic quality, and a connection to points of production and exchange to the east in the Aegean islands, Asia Minor, and the Near East.

Demographics

{| class=wikitable

! Year !! Population

|-

| 1991 || 333

|-

| 2001 || 237

|-

| 2011 || 238

|-

| 2021 || 319

|}

See also

  • List of settlements in Corinthia

References

  • Reference Guides - Cenchreae