Santa (Georgia)

Santa is located 12 kilometers from the city of Tsalka in southern Georgia .

The village of Santa was founded by the Pontic Greeks in 1835 . ^[3] in the process of transition to this treasury wasteland families from different villages of the Tsalka district and their remaining relatives from the village of Santa Trapezund district. In 1835, the Office of the Viceroy of the Caucasus received a petition from Greek families of the village of Santa Trapezund district, which stated: “We, Greek families from the village of Santa, have a desire to move within the Russian Empire to the area of ​​Tsalka, where several families of our relatives settled in 1830. Trusted Apostle Jeri and Triandafil Statios. " A message from the Russian consul from Trebizond regarding the petition dated October 11, 1835 stated: “The Santets stated that they could move in the spring of 1836 if the permission of the serasker Trabzund Osman Pasha Khazin-dar oglu to sell their property. ^[four]

The immigrants brought the name “Santa” from the area where they used to live - in mountains and forests, inaccessible to the Turks. Therefore, they were more independent, preserved their language and religion, unlike many other Greek villages. ^[3]

Pontic Greeks constituted the main population of the village of Santa until the end of the 90s of the XX century.

According to the 2014 census, 39 people lived (100% Georgians)

In the village of Santa, there was a Greek pedagogical college, but it was closed in August 1938 due to the liquidation of schools of a number of national minorities throughout the Soviet Union.

• Feohari Kessidi is a Russian-Greek philosopher, a member of several Russian and Greek scientific academies.
• Ivan Savvidi - businessman, public figure.