On June 8, 1824, on Sunday, all the agents of the island were gathered in the church of Agios Nikolaos And finally they decided that they had no other way out than the defense on land, they took “the Leonidion decision to fight the enemy in favor of everyone”. They carried the cannons of their ships to positions that were appropriate for the purpose of either defeating the enemy or dying there by fighting.
The island’s military force reached 3,000 men in total. Of these, 1,300 were Psarians, they saw 15 enemy warships approaching their island with a two -wheeler to spy on and appreciate the situation. When they approached St. George’s Cavo, Kanaris was ordered to attack his fires. The enemy identifiers rushed to move away with Hosir Pasha, who was in the tribute. The next day, the Psarians informed the government and the naval forces, demanding once again the rapid mission of the fleet and war supplies, bullets and gunpowder. This was the last appeal of Psara for help, but no effect.
On June 20, 1824, the hostile fleet had left Sigri, marching to Psara. The following day, the first attempt to land an enemy army failed due to the large number of defenders. Eventually, Josol Pasha managed to occupy the city and ordered his troops to conquer Paleokastro. It is worth noting that, since the beginning of the revolution, Paleokastro had been fortified by the Psarians, who, by demolishing the enclosure of two churches, had raised a strong wall of 5 meters and turned the site into a real fortress.
On the night of June 21st to June 22, 1824, the incarcerated Psarians had no illusion that it was the last day of their lives. The Sultan had ordered the fishermen to disappear. Of the 7,000 inhabitants of the island, 4,000 were killed. The flag that rose on the “evening” of June 22, 1824 in Paleokastro, was set up on the ash of Psara. After the destruction of the powerful fish, a naval force was lost, paying the morale of the Aegean islanders.
Decisive factors for the destruction of Psara were the inertia of the government with the in -time shipment of ships, as well as the incomplete organization of the island’s defense due to the weakening of its fleet.
The historical event of the destruction of Psara by the Ottomans describes Dionysius Solomos in his poem, “The Destruction of Psara” (1825), personifying the glory honoring the dead Psarians in a landscape of total destruction.
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