ΕΛΕΝΗ ΜΕΤΑΞΩΤΟΥ, Η ΓΥΝΑΙΚΑ ΤΗΣ ΣΥΡΝΑΣ
Η Ελένη Μεταξωτού έφυγε από τη ζωή στις 5/5/21 χωρίς να προλάβει να επιστρέψει στην αγαπημένη της Σύρνα.
Η υπόσχεση τηρήθηκε στις 10/10/2021. Ξεκινήσαμε από την Κω, όπως υποσχεθήκαμε, ταξιδέψαμε στη Σύρνα 71 πεζοπόροι, για να αποτίσουμε φόρο τιμής και να ανάψουμε τα καντηλάκια στα δύο αγαπημένα της εκκλησάκια στον Άη Γιάννη και τον Άγιο Γεώργιο. Θα ακολουθήσει ξεχωριστή ανάρτηση για την εμπειρία της Σύρνας.
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| 71 πεζοπόροι φτάνουν στη Σύρνα και τηρούν την υπόσχεση που έδωσαν στην τελευταία γυναίκα της Σύρνας |
Σ' αυτήν την υπέροχη συνέντευξη του Ιωσήφ Παπαδόπουλου, μαθαίνουμε για τη ζωή της μικρής -τότε-Ελένης και της οικογένειάς της, στη νησίδα της Σύρνας. Εκεί αναφέρει ότι τη δεκαετία του 1940 συνολικά μαζεύονταν 10 άτομα στο νησί και όλοι ασχολούνταν με την κτηνοτροφία (πάππου προς πάππου).
Η επικοινωνία ήταν δύσκολη κι αν υπήρχε κάποιο έκτακτο περιστατικό, π.χ κάποιο πρόβλημα υγείας, άναβαν φωτιές (φρυκτωρίες?).
Περιγράφει τη ζωή στο νησί σαν μοναχική αλλά ενδιαφέρουσα καθώς ήταν ψαρότοπος κι ερχόντουσαν αλιευτικά καΐκια. Στο νησί υπήρχε πάντα κόσμος, καθώς όσοι πήγαιναν να βοηθήσουν την οικογένεια, περνούσαν καλά, πληρώνονταν καλά και τελικά έμεναν στη Σύρνα.
Διηγείται επίσης, με απίστευτη διαύγεια και λεπτομέρεια, το ναυάγιο του πλοίου "Αθηνά" το 1946.
*Σημειώνεται ότι η "Κυρά της Ρω" ήταν νύφη της γιαγιάς της Ελένης Μεταξωτού. Είχε παντρευτεί τον αδερφό της Ιωάννη Αχλαδιώτη και είχε επισκεφθεί πολλές φορές τη Σύρνα.
Σχετικές αναρτήσεις:
Φωτογραφίες: Sophia Karagianni
Βίντεο με τις όλες τις φωτογραφίες από το ταξίδι στη Σύρνα:
Ακολουθεί η μετάφραση του κειμένου στα αγγλικά:
ELENI METAXOTOU — THE WOMAN OF SYRNA
We met her in October 2018 on Astypalaia. We already knew about her. We knew that at that time she was the only living resident of the islet of Syrna. We found her in her small shop “To Raxovoli tou Sapsakou in Syrna” at the port of Astypalaia.
We talked with her. She was so sweet and hospitable that when we were leaving she ran after us to give us, for our journey, some of the cookies she had baked. We promised her that we would all go together to Syrna. Unfortunately, we did not manage to keep that promise while she was still alive. It had been her wish to return to Syrna before she died.
Eleni Metaxotou passed away on 5 May 2021 without managing to return to her beloved Syrna.
The promise, however, was kept on 10 October 2021. We set out from Kos, as we had promised, and 71 hikers travelled to Syrna to pay tribute and light the oil lamps in her two beloved chapels: Saint John and Saint George. A separate post about the experience of Syrna will follow.
Seventy-one hikers arrive in Syrna and keep the promise they gave to the last woman of Syrna.
Everything began with our desire to go to Syrna. If you Google information about Syrna, her name immediately appears:
“Eleni Metaxotou — The living history of Syrna.”
In this wonderful interview by Iosif Papadopoulos, we learn about the life of little Eleni and her family on the islet of Syrna. She mentions that during the 1940s about ten people lived on the island, and all of them were engaged in livestock farming, a tradition passed from generation to generation.
Communication with other places was difficult, and if an emergency occurred—for example a health problem—they would light signal fires to call for help.
She describes life on the island as lonely but interesting, since it was a good fishing ground and fishing boats often came there. There were always people on the island because those who came to help the family worked well, were well paid, and eventually stayed on Syrna.
She also recounts, with remarkable clarity and detail, the shipwreck of the vessel “Athina” in 1946.
In a document dated 15 March 1928 from the Carabinieri of the Italian Administration of the Aegean, we read a complete census of all the islands near Astypalaia, including information about their geography, livestock and harbours. The same document refers to a Greek family of 12 members living on Syrna and engaged in livestock farming. It also notes that two small chapels existed on the island, dedicated to Saint George and Saint John.
Syrna is also known for the famous shipwreck of a vessel that sank in the bay of the islet on 9 December 1946, carrying Jewish refugees secretly heading to Palestine for the creation of the state of Israel. During their attempt to reach the shore, eight migrants drowned. According to the press of the time, the eight residents of Syrna helped the shipwrecked survivors.
It is also worth noting that the famous Despoina Achladioti (“The Lady of Ro”) was the daughter-in-law of Eleni Metaxotou’s grandmother. She had married Ioannis Achladiotis, her brother, and had visited Syrna many times.
