Laconia: The 199th Anniversary of the Holocaust of the villagers of Vrontamas at the Palaiomonastiro Monastery
The 199th anniversary of the Holocaust of the villagers of Vrontamas in Palaiomonastiro by Ibrahim Pasha was commemorated with events by the Municipality of Evrota and the Local Community of Vrontamas Laconia.
The celebration culminated on Sunday, 15 September 2024, with the celebration of the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy in the Palaiomonastiro Monastery and was presided over by His Grace Bishop Theophilos of Lacedaemonia. Then the Doxology was performed, after which, the day’s panegyric was delivered by the Principal of Vrontamas Primary School, Mr. Antonios Koutsovasilis. This was followed by a recitation of a poem by a student of Vrontamas Primary School, the laying of wreaths and a minute’s silence in memory of the glorious ones who were slain. Immediately after, there was a transition to the Eleni Stratigi Memorial, where a memorial service was held by the Assistant Bishop of the Holy Metropolis of Monemvasia and Sparta.
On 15 September 1825, around four hundred villagers of Vrontamas, under the leadership of father Dimitrios Papadimitriou and chieftain Giannakis Karambas, wrote another golden page in Greek history when they refused to surrender to Ibrahim Pasha’s troops. The besiegers, unable to capture this fortified area, blew up the hill-ceiling of the Monastery and burned alive all the prisoners from the openings.
The Palaiomonastiro Monastery is one of the oldest and most impressive monuments of the Laconian land. Among its rare Iconography, which dates back to before the 12th century, are certain frescoes dedicated to the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, Saint Nicholas and the great martyr Nikitas.
