Psara ( el, Ψαρά, , ; known in ancient times as /, /) is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea. Together with the small island of Antipsara (Population 4) it forms the municipality of Psara. It is part of the Chios regional unit, which is part of the North Aegean region. The only town of the island and seat of the municipality is also called Psara. Psara had 448 inhabitants according to the 2011 census. It has a small port linking to the island of Chios and other parts of Greece. It was also the site of the Psara massacre, in which thousands of Greeks on the island were massacred by Ottoman troops during the

Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. The Greeks were later assisted by ...

in 1824.

Geography

Psara lies northwest of Chios, from the northwestern point of the island of Chios and east-northeast of Athens. The length and width of the island are about and the area is . The highest point on the island is "Profitis Ilias" (). The municipality has total area of .

Flag

The modern

flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...

of Psara is based largely on the island's famous revolutionary flag created by Psariot locals in 1824. The original flag, carried during the War of Independence by Psariot ships, was made of white cloth bordered with red. It bore the symbols of in red (a large cross atop a crescent, a spear, and an anchor). A snake was wrapped around the anchor, often depicted with a bird flying near its mouth. On either side of the symbols, in red capital letters, were the words '' ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΙΑ Η ΘΑΝΑΤΟΣ (FREEDOM OR DEATH)'' and in some cases, the island's name, spelled ' or '. An original 1824 flag of Psara is preserved at the National Historical Museum of Greece. 1821 Flag of Psara

The flag of Psara currently in use has a very similar design but omits the island's name and bears a star below the crescent.

History

Psara has been inhabited since the Mycenaean period, its inhabitants relying on the sea to make a living as the island is treeless and rocky with little shrubbery. Homer,

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...

, Cratinus,

Suda The ''Suda'' or ''Souda'' (; grc-x-medieval, Σοῦδα, Soûda; la, Suidae Lexicon) is a large 10th-century Byzantine encyclopedia of the ancient Mediterranean world, formerly attributed to an author called Soudas (Σούδας) or Souidas ...

and

Stephanus of Byzantium Stephanus or Stephan of Byzantium ( la, Stephanus Byzantinus; grc-gre, Στέφανος Βυζάντιος, ''Stéphanos Byzántios''; centuryAD), was a Byzantine grammarian and the author of an important geographical dictionary entitled ''Ethni ...

referred to the island as ''Psyra'' ( grc, Ψυρά and Ψύρα)Strabo, Geography, §14.1.35
/ref>Suda Encyclopedia, §psi.155
/ref>Stephanus of Byzantium, Ethnica, §Ps703.2
/ref> and ''Psyrian'' ( grc, Ψυρίαν). The island had a city also called Psyra. The islanders' sole source of livelihood has always been fishing, mainly for the locally abundant slipper lobsters, and shipping, with some tourist development in recent years. The Greek ancient proverb ''Psyra celebrating Dionysos'' ( grc, Ψύρα τὸν Διόνυσον ἄγοντες) originated from the fact that Psyra was a poor and small island which could not produce its own wine, and was used in reference to people who were reclining at a symposium but not drinking. Another ancient Greek proverb, ''You regard Sparta as Psyra'' ( grc, Ψύρα τε τὴν Σπάρτην ἄγεις), also expressed the poverty of the island. During the middle ages Psara had a very small population, which abandoned the island for Chios after the

Fall of Constantinople The Fall of Constantinople, also known as the Conquest of Constantinople, was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire. The city fell on 29 May 1453 as part of the culmination of a 53-day siege which had begun o ...

. In the 16th century the Psariots returned to their homeland along with other settlers and established a settlement around the Palaiokastro fort which they repaired. They turned to trade, amassing great profits. By the beginning of the 19th century the Psariots had the third largest trade fleet in Greece after

Hydra Hydra generally refers to: * Lernaean Hydra, a many-headed serpent in Greek mythology * ''Hydra'' (genus), a genus of simple freshwater animals belonging to the phylum Cnidaria Hydra or The Hydra may also refer to: Astronomy * Hydra (constel ...

and Spetses, numbering some 45 ships.

Destruction

Psara joined the

on April 10, 1821. Future Prime Minister Konstantinos Kanaris, Dimitrios Papanikolis, Pipinos and

Nikolis Apostolis Nikolis Apostolis ( el, Νικολής Αποστόλης) was a Greek naval commander during the Greek War of Independence. Apostolis was born on the island of Psara in 1770. He was initiated into the Filiki Eteria in 1818. When the revolt again ...

distinguished themselves as naval leaders, using fire ships to combat the more powerful Ottoman Navy. Psara's native population of people was further augmented by refugees from Thessaly, Macedonia, Chios,

Moschonisia __NOTOC__ Cunda Island, also called Alibey Island, ( tr, Cunda Adası, Alibey Adası), Greek Moschonisi ( gr, Μοσχονήσι or Μοσχόνησος), is the largest of the Ayvalık Islands archipelago in Turkey, which was historically ...

and Kydonies. On July 3 (June 21 O.S.), 1824, the island was invaded by the Turks. The resistance of the Psariots ended the next day with a last stand at the town's old fort of Palaiokastro (alternative name ''Mavri Rachi'', literally "black ridge"). Hundreds of soldiers and also women and children had taken refuge there when an Ottoman force of stormed the fort. The refugees first threw a white flag with the words "Ἐλευθερία ἤ Θάνατος" (" Eleftheria i Thanatos", ''"Freedom or Death"''). Then, the moment the Turks entered the fort, the local

Antonios Vratsanos Antonios or Antónios is a Greek masculine given name that is a variant of Antonis, as well as a surname. Notable people with this name include the following: Given name *Antonios Antoniadis (born 20th-century), Greek physician * Antonios Antonopo ...

lit a fuse to the gunpowder stock, in an explosion that killed the town's inhabitants along with their enemies — thus remaining faithful to their flag to their death. A French officer who heard and saw the explosion compared it to a volcanic eruption of Vesuvius. A part of the population managed to flee the island, but those who did not were either sold into slavery or killed. As a result of the invasion, thousands of Greeks met a tragic fate. The island was deserted and surviving islanders were scattered through what is now Southern Greece.

Theophilos Kairis Theophilos Kairis (Greek: Θεόφιλος Καΐρης; baptismal name Θωμᾶς ''Thomas''; 19 October 1784 – 13 January 1853) was a Greek priest, philosopher and revolutionary. He was born in Andros, Cyclades, Ottoman Greece, as a son ...

, a priest and scholar, took on many of the orphaned children and developed the famous school the

Orphanotropheio of Theophilos Kairis Theophilos Kairis (Greek: Θεόφιλος Καΐρης; baptismal name Θωμᾶς ''Thomas''; 19 October 1784 – 13 January 1853) was a Greek priest, philosopher and revolutionary. He was born in Andros, Cyclades, Ottoman Greece, as a son ...

. Psara remained in the hands of the

Ottomans The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...

until it was recaptured by the Greek navy on 21 October 1912 during the First Balkan War.

Historical population

A native of Psara is known in English as a Psariot or a Psarian.

Notable people

Notable natives and inhabitants of the island include: * Ioannis Varvakis (1745–1825), admiral, caviar merchant and benefactor. *

(1770–1827), admiral. * Dimitrios Papanikolis (1790–1855), admiral. * Konstantinos Kanaris (1793/1795–1877), admiral and politician, Prime Minister of Greece. * Garafilia Mohalbi (1817–1830), Greek-American refugee and former slave. *

George Sirian George Sirian (1818 – December 21, 1891) was a Greek war orphan brought into the United States aboard the ("Old Ironsides"). He served in the United States Navy with distinction for over fifty years, first as an ordinary seaman, and later as a ...

(1818–1891), United States Navy officer.

References

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20070611074035/http://www.chios.com/island/psara.htm (also in German and Greek) * http://www.sansimera.gr/archive/articles/show.php?id=156&feature=H_katastrofi_ton_Psaron (The destruction of Psara, in Greek) * http://www.ptolemais.com/shmaies/epanastatimena.htm (The flags of the rebellious islands (Psara), in Greek) {{Authority control Populated places in Chios (regional unit) Municipalities of the North Aegean Landforms of Chios (regional unit) Islands of the North Aegean