Refugees from Karyes of Eastern Romylia

Eastern Romylia or Northern Thrace included many cities, provinces and villages with Greek populations, such as Plovdiv, Varna, Anchialos, and Sozopol. Among these settlements was the province of Kavakli with its 12 villages. The monastery of the Holy Trinity was the religious centre of the region. One of them was Karyes with a pure Greek population. They were located on the outskirts of Mount Sakar, which was the continuation of the Northern Rhodope. In the settlement there was a church of Agia Paraskevi, while the church of Agios Athanasios is also mentioned. It also had a primary school and a kindergarten. Its renowned teacher and director was Anastasios Papaioannou, the later archimandrite and Macedonian fighter Nikandros, who taught therein between 1903 and 1906. The activities of the inhabitants were mostly agricultural, livestock activities and trade. The community was governed by the president and the tsorbatzis, like all Greek communities during the Ottoman rule. Of particular interest is the construction of their houses, which they built themselves with stone and wood. From 1906 to 1925 the inhabitants of Karyes moved to Greece as refugees and only a few remained in the village. Most of them settled in Giannitsa, Pella, while others settled in Nea Karyes, Larissa, a village created in 1907. Pictured: Eleni, nicknamed Biltziko, a refugee from Karyes in Eastern Rumelia who settled in Nea Karyes, Larissa. ©Folklore Association of Kalochorians of Eastern and Northern Thrace “Kaskarka”.