AGATHONISI TRAVEL GUIDE

AGATHONISI > HISTORY

HISTORY

Agathonisi was first called Tragea or Tragia. Its name was given by a teacher priest, who came from the island of Fourni and had taught in the island during the second and third decade of our century.

The name as it stands today reflects the good nature of its inhabitants. "Agatho" means ‘good’. In antiquity, Tragea was inhabited by the Dorians and later by the lonians of Militos. This was revealed in the ancient ruins excavated dating from those times. The colloquialisms of the islanders, who tend to speak the genuine Hellenic language, as well as their traditions, lead us to conclude that the inhabitants are descendants of political refugees from the Byzantine area. As we learn from Plutarch in 74 P.C. Julius Caesar, emperor of Rome, was sailing from Italy to Asia Minor, when he was caught by pirates from Tragea and was transferred to the island of Farmako where he was held prisoner.

On the 6th of August 1824 the defeated Ottoman - Egyptian fleet temporarily found refuge there after the naval battle of Mikali. According to a decision signed by the Duke Agelos Komnenos dating from 1294, Agathonisi along with the islands of Patmos, Arki, Lipsi, some parts of Ko, Leros, Meandros and Pirgos of Asia Minor were granted to the Monastery of Patmos.

In 1522, Agathonisi, along with other islands, was subjugated by the Ottoman Turks. In the early 19th century inhabitants from Patmos and Fournoi settled on the island.

On the 29th April 1912 the Italians conquered the Ottoman-Turks and the treaty of Lozanne in 1923 validated this concession. It is worth mentioning that after so many conquerors no further military settlement occurred on the island. Only in 1938, the Italian, De Vechi Di Valcisman, general commander of the Dodecanese, installed two guardhouses.

On the 8th of September '43 the Germans took control of the Dodecanese, by force, from the Italians.

On the 7th of March 1948 the Dodecanese was officially incorporated into the Hellenic territory and Agathonisi joined the municipality of Patmos, a province of Kalimnos. However, the inhabitants had many problems because of distance and because of the lack of transportation means. So on the 18th of February, 1959, the island was granted local administrative authority.