Ιsland on the run. An account of the first Kastellorizian exodus of 1805.

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by Connie Gregory
This story was told to me by my mother-in-law Eftihia Gregory who lived on the island of Kastellorizo until she migrated to Perth. It is by chance that I have the full story.
During a visit to Darwin, where my husband and I and our two boys lived for thirteen years until 1995, my mother-in-law casually mentioned that if my boys ever went to visit Kastellorizo they must visit the Church of Panayia tou Horafiou (Our Lady of the Fields), which was commisioned in thanksgiving by their great-great-great-grandfather Vlassis Hadji Palassis. I got some details of the church and the story might have ended there except I decided to pin down some facts and dates. The church was built in the early 1800s. How could that be possible I asked if Kastellorizo was under Turkish rule? Then the most wondrous story was revealed.
The people of Kastellorizo, formerly Megisti, were ship-builders and traders, and maintained their Greek identity despite being located on a tiny island within swimming distance of Turkey, and despite being under the control of various empires such as the Roman and Byzantine Empires, the Egyptians, the Venetians, the Turks and the French, followed in more recent times by the Italians from 1920 to 1947. (It was the Italian occupation in 1920 that sparked a second exodus with many of the inhabitants migrating to mainland Greece and to Australia.)
In 1805 with a population of around 14000, Kastellorizo was flourishing despite being under Turkish rule. Turkish representation on the island was minimal. The islanders continued trading from their beautiful port, probably paying tribute to the Turks. The main hazard to trade was the prevalence of pirates who were fond of preying on vessels in the Aegean, particularly the Dodecanese group of islands. The pirates were much feared.
The traders had friends and connections on all their shipping routes, through to Odessa in the north, Egypt to the South, and throughout the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas. Kastellorizians owe their lives to one such connection.
A Greek lawyer living in the Turkish port of Antalya took very seriously the gossip that a large fleet of pirate ships was preparing to raid Kastellorizo within the week. The ships from various locations had massed in Syria. He decided to take action immediately. If the pirates sacked Kastellorizo the men would be killed, the women either raped or sold to harems, and God knows what would happen to the children.
The particular time of the year in 1805 would have seen the entire Kastellorizian fleet at anchor in the horseshoe shaped port.
The lawyer obtained the services of an athletic Greek youth who was given a horse with the instruction to travel as quickly as possible to the Turkish town of Kas (pronounced cash, formerly Antithilo), west of Antalya, and then to swim the 7 kilometres to the island of Kastellorizo, maintaining secrecy, as it was not known if the Turks were party to the planned sacking.
Around the young man’s neck the lawyer placed a chain to which was attached a small bottle which he was to present to the Greek Lord Mayor of Kastellorizo. Should he fear capture or interrogation, the young man was told to break the bottle and place the contents in his mouth as the signed instructions would incriminate the lawyer and possibly also lead to the death of the messenger. The note was written on oiled parchment, and according to my mother-in-law the note read: “A fleet of pirates is on its way. Tell the people to leave Kastellorizo and to go to the other islands, as far away as possible. Put everybody on the boats and go immediately.”
The identityof the lawyer was known to the Mayor, and the warning was heeded. The whole population of around 14000 departed within hours of receipt of the message. Much gold would have been in their possession. They sailed to several islands where they were accommodated, including Ikaria, Amorgos, and Chios, well away from the Dodecanese group. They stayed away for five or six months. Vlassis Haji Palassis and his family stayed on the island of Amorgos and it was there that Nicholas Palassis was born.
The small number of Turkish officials probably went across to Kas. Nobody mentions them, so one must assume that they did. But there was one person left behind on Kastellorizo. Father Paissios often repaired to St George’s Mount where he spent time in retreat and the fleet sailed without him. Perhaps in the haste and confusion of departure there was either no time to go looking for him or else it was assumed that everybody had boarded. While he was in retreat the pirates anchored and pillaged the houses taking furniture, carpets, and whatever else had been left behind as well as destroying several homes. Father Paissios emerged to find the island empty. He did not know for some time what had happened to the inhabitants.
Every day Father Paissos would look out to sea wondering if anybody would ever come back. On 19 July the day before the feast of the Prophet Elijah, (I am not sure whether it was July 1805 or 1806) the Kastellorisian fleet suddenly appeared. The priest could not contain himself – he was running up and down the shore waving and calling out thanks to God. He became more excited as the ships drew nearer. Not being able to contain himself any longer he jumped into the sea to swim to the ships. The people on the ships were highly amused to see the priest fully clothed in the water, and then a large number of them also jumped into the sea to meet the priest (and probably to boast that they were the first to set foot again on their beloved island).
In thanksgiving for the safe birth of his son Nicholas and for escaping certain massacre by the pirates, Vlassis Hadji Palassis commissisoned the Church of Panayia tou Horafiou which is located near the Church of St Constantine. The Turks allowed the new Christian church to be built as they were probably keen to see the traders bring prosperity to the region again.
Every year on 19 July, the day before the feast day of the Prophet Elijah, the population of Kastellorizo would commemorate that happy homecoming by all going down to the sea fully dressed and walking into the sea to frolic – old people, young people and children.
In 1976 when Eftihia Gregory first visited Kastellorizo since leaving in 1940, she found that the exceedingly small number of inhabitants left on the island still celebrated the event. She and her husband, along with every other tourist in town went down to frolic in the sea – fully dressed.

www.kastellorizo.com.au