“To err is human. But to confess one’s error is a higher manhood and a nobler civilization. A simple-minded nation must ignore the afflictions caused by their error and το prosper.”
Nikolaos Plastiras
The adventurous and heroic life of our athlete begins and ends in this very place. The origin of the superathlete Panagi Kaliantzis or Kaliontzis of Antonio, from the isle of Coutalis ended up surpassing the value of his name and becoming his main name itself. This narrow strip of land that emerges beautifully from the Sea of Marmara, was lucky enough to be stepped on by the foot of the strongest athlete in the world. When Panagis was born and lived in this place, the population of the isle was mainly Greek, but the dramatic events of the First World War and later the Asia Minor disaster of 1922 forced many people, Greeks and Turks, to leave their homes of. Among them were the inhabitants of this island, who, following the path of the refugee, scattered like wings in the wind. The first uprooting of them took place in 1915 and then, among them was Panagis himself who was now old and sick, he was forced to leave his ancestral home to be dragged along with his compatriots, under humiliating and inhumane conditions far from his island.
Statistical table of the province of Proikonnisos. Official census of 1905. The vast majority of the inhabitants are Greeks. Indicatively, 2607 Greeks lived exclusively in Coutalis. (source: Marmarina Nea newspaper, Aug. Sept. 1952)
View of Coutalis in a photo taken before the uprooting of 1922.The ruins of the school (center) and the church (left) in Coutalis. In the forecourt of this church, the bones of Panagis Coutalianos were deposited after they were exhumed from the Baloukli cemetery and transported from Constantinople.
The inhabitants of Coutalis settled in various parts of the Greek territory and the USA. They mainly colonized the island of Lemnos where in 1926 they founded the community of Nea Coutalis. We still find them in Thessaloniki, Lavrio, Oropos, Evia, in villages around the Sigitiko gulf, in Lesvos and in other coastal cities of Greece. However, their communities were also prosperous in Cleveland and Tacoma, USA, but also in Montevideo, Uruguay, where the distinguished diplomat Grigoris Pantazoglou from Coutalis was consul of Greece for many years.
The consul general of Greece in Uruguay Grigoris Pantazoglou from the Isle of Coutalis.
(On the left) view of the island of Coutalis in an old photo. (On the right) A group of refugees from the island of Coutalis, dumped in some after their arrival in Greece. Desperation can be seen on their faces.
The imression of excursion to the island of Coutalis.
Thirty years after they were uprooted from the isle of Coutalis, some refugees visited it again and describe their feelings in the moving article that follows.
Some Greeks from Coutalis island made a trip to their island, thirty years after their uprooting. In the long article above, their impressions are described.
Scattered information about island Coutalis. Articles from the newspaper “Marmarina Nea”
Below we list a series of articles related to the history of the islands of the Sea of Marmara and their inhabitants who ended up becoming refugees.
April 1953. Αrrivals of refugees from Coutali.
August/September 1952. the places where the refugees who came from the Marmara Sea islands settled and the other nearby places.
July 1952. A couple in love from Coutalis, get married against their parents’ wishes.
March 1952. A funeral text dedicated to a dear person (Alexandros Kalafatis) from Coutalis.
Αugust 1948. Celebratory event of the refugees from Coutali, who settled in Thessaloniki
Αpril 1950. Τext dedicated to Evdokia Zerboulidou from Coutalis.
Αugust 1940. Νews from the settlement created by refugees from Coutalis in Cleveland
Αugust 1948. Four marble columns of the church of Agios Dimitrios in Thessaloniki come from Prokonisos, which is one of the islands of the Sea of Marmara.
Αugust 1948. Νews from Nea Coutalis located on the island of Limnos.
A refugee from Coutalis is looking for information about his relatives who have settled in the USA
August 1949. memorial to Patriarch Anthimos VI, who was originally from Coutalis.
Celebratory event of the refugees from Coutalis.
August 1951. Construction of a church in Nea Coutalis.
Αugust/ September 1952. Statistics on the population of Greeks who lived in the cities around the Sea of Marmara.
Αugust/ September 1952. Refugees from the islands of the Sea of Marmara. The moment of separation from the motherland is depicted.
December 1950/ January 1951. Refugee trip to hometown. Their good contact with the Turks is described.
January 1949. Νews from the settlement created by refugees from Coutalis in Cleveland
January 1949. The above article describes the story of a shipwreck. The victims of this shipwreck were sailors from Coutalis.
January 1949. The above article describes the story of a shipwreck. The victims of this shipwreck were sailors from Coutalis.
March 1949. The above article describes the story of a shipwreck. The victims of this shipwreck were sailors from Coutalis.
January 1949. Celebration of the refugees from Coutalis, for the twenty years of their settlement in the USA.
Ιουλ. 1948. Commemoration of Gr. Pantazoglou.
July 1948. News from the town of Nea Coutalis, located on the island of Limnos.
July 1948. News from the refugee community in Cleveland.
Ιune 1949. News from the refugee community in Cleveland.
June 1949. News from the refugee communities in Cleveland and Savannah.
Μay 1953. The consul of Greece Gr. Pantazoglou arrived from Uruguay in Athens.
Μarch1949. News from the town of Nea Coutalis, located on the island of Limnos.
Μarch 1949. Announcement of the refugee community from Coutalis.
Μarch 1949. Two young people from Coutalis announce their engagement.
Μarch 1951. Geographical characteristics of the isle of Coutalis
Νovember 1949. News from the refugee community in Cleveland.
Νovember 1949. The first uprooting of the inhabitants of the islands of the Sea of Marmara.September 1949. The first uprooting of the inhabitants of the islands of the Sea of Marmara.
Νovember 1949. The famous Greek cook Nick Tselemendes, assumes his duties as a chef, at the hotel st. Moritz. The manager of this hotel was the businessman Socrates Taylor. This businessman was Greek, he came from the isle of Marmaras and his real name was Sokratis Tavoularis.
Νovember 1949. Sons and daughters from the isle of Coutalis
Οctomber 1947. The exile of the islanders in 1915.
Οctomber 1948. News from the refugee community in Cleveland
Οctomber 1948. Letter of thanks to the newspaper Marmarina Nea.
Οctomber 1948. Sponge fishermen from the isle of Coutalis.
Οctomber 1948. News of the refugee community from the isle of Coutalis.
September 1951. Santa Marina church in Nea Coutalis.
September 1951. Turkish citizens send warm greetings to their old neighbors who were forced to become refugees and leave their homes.
The inhabitants of Coutalis settled in various parts of the Greek territory and the USA. They mainly colonized the island of Lemnos where in 1926 they founded the community of Nea Koutali. We still find them in Thessaloniki, Lavrio, Oropos, Evia, in villages around the Sigitiko gulf, in Lesvos and in other coastal cities of Greece. However, their communities were also prosperous in Cleveland and Tacoma, USA, but also in Montevideo, Uruguay, where the distinguished diplomat Grigoris Pantazoglou from Coutalis was consul of Greece for many years.The Greek inhabitants of the Marmara islands, when they were forced to leave their homes, they ended up in the cities we have marked on the map. Their living conditions were miserable and exterminating.
