When Greek forces arrived in Chios in November 1912, a young local woman helped turn the island’s hopes for freedom into a powerful symbol. Eugenia Madia made a Greek flag from the fabrics she had available. The handmade flag became part of the story of Chios’ liberation from Ottoman rule and is preserved today at the island’s historic Korais Library.
More than a century later, the flag remains a tangible reminder of the people who welcomed the Greek forces and the role ordinary citizens played in a defining moment in the island’s history.
Chios’ long-awaited liberation in 1912
Chios had remained under Ottoman rule for centuries. The island’s struggle for freedom was marked by the failed uprising of 1822 and the devastating massacre that followed, when Ottoman forces killed or enslaved large numbers of inhabitants.
The island remained under Ottoman administration until the First Balkan War, when Greece and its Balkan allies fought the Ottoman Empire in 1912.
On November 11, 1912, the Greek fleet arrived outside Chios’ port. Greek naval officers called for the surrender of the Ottoman forces, but the Ottoman commander, Zihni Bey, refused.
Greek troops subsequently landed near Kontari, south of Chios town. After resistance from the Ottoman garrison, the troops withdrew from their positions and retreated toward the island’s mountainous interior.
Greek forces entered Chios town on November 12, 1912, amid celebrations by residents who had long awaited liberation. However, fighting continued in other parts of the island before the remaining Ottoman forces surrendered.
The young woman who made a flag from available fabrics
Among the stories associated with the liberation is that of Eugenia Madia, a young woman from Chios who wanted to welcome the Greek forces with a national flag.
According to historical accounts, she made the flag using white cotton cloth and blue silk taken from a woman’s dress. Rather than reproducing the modern Greek flag exactly, her handmade version had seven stripes instead of nine.
Madia presented the flag to Lieutenant Katafygiotis, the local garrison commander. He invited her to raise it herself at the garrison building. The flag was hoisted amid the cheers of the gathered crowd, linking a personal act of patriotism with the wider celebrations of liberation.
Historical accounts distinguish this episode at the garrison from another flag-raising at the town’s administrative building, which is associated with Archimandrite Neofytos Papanastasiou. Keeping these events separate helps preserve the details of Chios’ liberation story.
A historic flag preserved at the Korais Library
The flag survived as a historical relic thanks to George I. Choremis, who preserved it and donated it to the Korais Library in 1966. The library, one of Chios’ most important cultural institutions, continues to safeguard the object as a material link to the island’s past.
The surviving fabric offers a connection to the people who experienced the events of 1912. Unlike a later reproduction, the original flag carries the physical traces of its handmade construction and the materials available to its creator.
Its historical importance lies not only in its connection to the liberation of Chios, but also in the personal story behind it. Madia’s initiative shows how residents could express their hopes for freedom through simple, meaningful acts.
A symbol of freedom for Chios
The liberation of Chios formed part of Greece’s wider effort to bring the eastern Aegean islands under Greek control during the First Balkan War. The events of November 1912 marked a turning point, although the military campaign on the island continued beyond the entry of Greek troops into the town.
Today, the anniversary recalls both the military effort and the local population’s participation in the island’s liberation. The handmade flag associated with Eugenia Madia gives that history a human dimension: a piece of fabric, assembled from available materials, became a lasting symbol of a community’s hopes for freedom.
