The Mana – Elia, a lofty tree of 14 meters height and a trunk perimeter of around 9 meters, stands for hundreds (or thousands) of years in the area of Kalamata, reminiscent of the city’s close relationship with the olive.
This tree is representative of the variety ‘Aetonycholia Kalamata “because of its large leaves and large oblong oval fruit, which is reminiscent of almond or grape berry, ie ” eagle-claw (aetonychi) “.
It is a real monument of nature, almost 800-1000 years old (according to research of Messinian forester Dr. Panagiotis Bazigos may attain and 1733 years).
Myths and reports say that the story of Mana-Elia starts during the Revolution, around 1826. Back then, there were disasters and lootings of villages in the Peloponnese, as well as destructions in agricultural production, burning of arable lands, uprooting many fruit trees and most of the olive trees. Only this olive tree managed to stay untouched. Everyone then began to take its branches and planting new olives in the region. It is considered that all the olive trees of Kalamata and surrounding areas originate from this tree.