The small mountain village of Flesiada (formerly known as Pedemenon) is located 15.5 km northeast of Chora and just 4 km south of the village of Maniaki. It is built at an altitude of 603 meters and has about 60 permanent residents. In ancient times, the settlement area was part of the kingdom of Nestor, of ancient Pylos. During the Second Venetian Occupation, the village was referred to as Pedemeno, while it is also mentioned in various censuses of the Venetian Republic (1683 / 1684-1715).
The village is the nearest settlement (near the Maniaki hill), where on May 20th, 1825, the Battle of Maniaki took place. During this battle, Papaflessas (Gregory Dikaios), who resisted Ibrahim Pasha, got killed while fighting. Besides, the village has taken its current name in honour of the Messinian hero. Between the neighbouring settlement of Maniaki and Flesiada (in Tambouria), the visitors can see the monument, which has been erected in remembrance of the heroic battle. It is a large and imposing triangular pyramid (20 meters high), made of shaped limestone visible from almost all the Messinian plain. Next to the monument, there is the small church of the Holy Trinity where, every year, on May 20th, a Doxology and Memorial Prayer is held.
