Bishop Nikolaos of Kitros and his memoirs of the uprising in Macedonia (1878)
Abstract
The recently discovered manuscript of Bishop Nikolaos’ memoirs on the uprising in Macedonia in 1878, provides a new perspective of the events in the Olympos-Pieria district of Macedonia during the years 1876-1878. As bi shop of Kitros, Nikolaos took an active part in the revolt. In his memoirs, he gives, a vivid account of his initiation into the secret revolutionary movement and of his own endeavours to enlist the support of the peasants and the townsfolk of his diocese.
Hitherto, most of our knowledge of these events was derived either from the published archives of the Athens-based Macedonian Committee, or from the already published Greek consular reports from Macedonia. Now, this struggle of the Macedonians for freedom and unification with the Greek Kingdon gains a new dimension as it is viewd from the inside through the eyes of one of its local protagonists.
Nikolaos does not limit himself to a narrative of the revolt—which any how is inconclusive, as his memoirs end abruptly with the burning of the bishop’s palace. He goes on, by giving a penetrating account of the miserable economic and social situation in Southern Macedonia at that time.
Never short of words, Nikolaos castigates the Othoman Administration, as well as the hierarchy of his own Church, for the sad state of the peasantry. It is this criticism, along with his behaviour during the critical years of 1876-1878, that may well gain him the name of the «rebel bishop».
Article Details
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Κωφός Ε. (1980). Bishop Nikolaos of Kitros and his memoirs of the uprising in Macedonia (1878). Makedonika, 20(1), 193–208. https://doi.org/10.12681/makedonika.404
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