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THE Sapienza It is the second largest island of the Messinian Oinousses after Schiza and has a beach in its northern part, opposite Methoni, which is called Sand and certainly his images are more reminiscent of the Caribbean than of an island in Greece.
It’s found off the southwestern coast of Messinia, in front of Methoni and is a green island with a rare flora. It has an area of 9 square km and has approximately. and according to the 2001 census, it has a population of 7 inhabitants. Administratively it belongs to the Municipality of Pylos – Nestoros, while in the period 1999-2010 it belonged to the Municipality of Methoni.
To the southwest of Sapienza is the deepest point in the Mediterranean, known as the Oinousses moat or well, with a depth of 5,121 m. The highest point on the island is 219 m. Access to the island is via tourist boats that leave from Methoni.
Sapienza is located on the important sea route that connects Italy with the Middle East. Several shipwrecks have occurred on its shores, some of which carried a particularly significant cargo, of great value today for archeology.
One of the remains contained the columns of the great peristyle that Herod had built in Caesarea, Palestine in the 1st century AD, while another contained important Roman sarcophagi.
In the southern part of the island there are lighthouse built in 1885. It has a height of 8 meters and a focal height of 110 meters. The lighthouse was built at the request of Queen Victoria of England. Today it is electrified with photovoltaic systems.
The name Sapienza is of Italian origin and means wisdom. From 1209 the island came under the control of the Venetians, as well as the entire southern coast of Messinia. During the Third Venetian-Turkish War it was an anchorage for the Turkish and Venetian fleets. After the liberation of Greece, it became Greek territory. However, he was challenged by England during the Parkerians, when relations between Greece and England became strained. England claimed the island during this period as part of the Ionian Islands, which belonged to her at the time.
The island has remained almost uninhabited in recent decades, but has a very small population in recent censuses.
