EOKA 1955-59

EOKA (National Organization of Cypriots Fighters / Ethniki Organosi Kyprion Agoniston) was created in 1953. The decision of the Greek Cypriots to vindicate their goal of official union (énosis) with Greece with arms was due to a combination of reasons involving both the international political demands after World War II, and local tension with the British rulers.   

EOKA had a political-diplomatic and a military wing. Leader of the former was Archbishop Makarios III, whilst Georgios Grivas was coordinating the military part. Grivas was known by the nickname “Digenis”, which symbolically identified him to the legendary Byzantine hero Digenis Akritas. According to the folk myths Digenis Akritas was safeguarding the eastern boarders of the Byzantine Empire. Even today he constitutes the personification of the ‘heroic figure’ in the Greek tradition.

In November 1954 Georgios Grivas secretly disembarked at Chlorakas coast, on the west side of the island, in Pafos district. EOKA started its guerilla war on April 1st 1955 with extensive bomb attacks targeting British facilities in all major Cypriot cities. In 1958 the guerilla fights also involved the Turkish Cypriots as a target. Due to the 1958 inter-communal conflicts and the growing animosity between the leftwing ideology Cypriots and the hardcore EOKA fighters, in September 1958 during an interview, Archbishop Makarios III appeared open to negotiate the independence solution. In February 1959 the independence agreement was signed and in August 16, 1960 Cyprus gained its independence. Greece, Turkey and Britain were appointed as guarantor powers; Archbishop Makarios III became the first President of the Democracy of Cyprus; and both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots committed to abandon their claims on union (enosis) and partition (taksim), respectively. 

In 1987, the Parliament of the Republic of Cyprus officially recognized the EOKA 1955-59 struggle and established April 1st as the national commemorative day (article 48/1987).

Aggeliki Sotiriou “Philimon” (Αγγελική Σωτηρίου «Φιλήμων») bust

Alekos Konstantinou (Αλέκου Κωνσταντίνου) and Panayiotis Toumazos (Παναγιώτης Τουμάζος) busts

Andreas Avramidis (Ανδρέας Αβραμίδης) bust

Andreas Georgiou (Ανδρέας Γεωργίου) bust

Andreas Georgiou (Ανδρέας Γεωργίου) statue

Andreas Onisiforou (Ανδρέας Ονησιφόρου) bust

Andreas Pantelidis (Ανδρέας Παντελίδης) bust

Andreas Patsalidis (Ανδρέας Πατσαλίδης) and Charalambos Pettemeridis (Χαράλαμπος Πεττεμερίδης) statues

Andreas Sourouklis (Ανδρέας Σουρουκλής) bust

Andreas Vlamis (Ανδρέας Βλάμης) and Platonas Stylianou (Πλάτωνας Στυλιανού) busts

Andreas Vlamis (Ανδρέας Βλάμης) bust

Andreas Zakos (Ανδρέας Ζάκος) and Georgios Antoniou (Γεώργιος Αντωνίου) busts

Antonis Papadopoulos (Αντώνης Παπαδόπουλος) bust

Archbishop Makarios III (Αρχιεπίσκοπος Μακάριος Γ’) and Georgios Grivas Digenis (Γεώργιος Γρίβας Διγενής) busts

Archbishop Makarios III (Αρχιεπίσκοπος Μακάριος Γ’) bust

Archbishop Makarios III (Αρχιεπίσκοπος Μακάριος Γ’) bust

Archbishop Makarios III (Αρχιεπίσκοπος Μακάριος Γ’) bust

Archbishop Makarios III (Αρχιεπίσκοπος Μακάριος Γ’) bust

Archbishop Makarios III (Αρχιεπίσκοπος Μακάριος Γ’) bust

Archbishop Makarios ΙΙΙ (Αρχιεπίσκοπος Μακάριος Γ’) statue

Archbishop Makarios III (Αρχιεπίσκοπος Μακάριος Γ’) statue

Archbishop Makarios III (Αρχιεπίσκοπος Μακάριος Γ’) statue

Archbishop Makarios III (Αρχιεπίσκοπος Μακάριος Γ’) statue

Archbishop Makarios III (Αρχιεπίσκοπος Μακάριος Γ’) statue

 Archbishop Makarios III (Αρχιεπίσκοπος Μακάριος Γ’) statue

 Archbishop Makarios III (Αρχιεπίσκοπος Μακάριος Γ’) statue

 Archbishop Makarios III (Αρχιεπίσκοπος Μακάριος Γ’) bust

 Archbishop Makarios III (Αρχιεπίσκοπος Μακάριος Γ’) bust

 Archbishop Makarios III (Αρχιεπίσκοπος Μακάριος Γ’) statue

 Aristoklis Avgousti (Αριστοκλής Αυγουστή) bust

 Artemis Frantzeskou (Αρτέμης Φραντζέσκου) and Toumazos Toumazou (Τουμάζος Τουμάζου) busts

Charalambos Kalaitzis (Χαράλαμπος Καλαϊτζής) & Georgios Kleanthous (Γεώργιος Κλεάνθους) busts

Charalambos Pettemeridis (Χαράλαμπος Πεττεμερίδης) statue

Charilaos Michail (Χαρίλαος Μιχαήλ) statue

Christos Kkelis (Χρίστος Κκέλης) and Georgios Michail (Γιώργος Μιχαήλ) busts

Christos Tsiartas (Χρίστος Τσιάρτας) and Andreas Panayiotou (Ανδρέας Παναγιώτου) statues

Dimitrakis Christodoulou (Δημητράκης Χριστοδούλου) bust

Dimitrakis Dimitriadis (Δημητράκης Δημητριάδης) statue

Dimitrakis Ioannou (Δημητράκης Ιωάννου) bust

Dimitrakis Papamiltiadous (Δημητράκης Παπαμιλτιάδους) bust

Dimitris Charalambous (Δημήτρης Χαραλάμπους) and Vasilis Alexandrou (Βασίλης Αλεξάνδρου) busts

Elias Papakyriakou (Ηλίας Παπακυριακού) bust

Evagoras M. Pallikaridis (Ευαγόρας Μ. Παλληκαρίδης) statue

Evagoras Pallikadidis (Ευαγόρας Παλληκαρίδης) bust

Evagoras Pallikaridis (Ευαγόρας Παλληκαρίδης) bust

Evagoras Pallikaridis (Ευαγόρας Παλληκαρίδης) statue

Evagoras Papachristophorou (Ευαγόρας Παπαχριστοφόρου) statue

Fidias Symeonidis (Φειδίας Συμεωνίδης) and Tryfonas Tryfonas (Τρύφωνας Τρύφωνας) busts

Fotis Pittas (Φώτης Πίττας) bust

Fotis Pittas (Φώτης Πίττας) bust

Fotis Pittas (Φώτης Πίττας) statue

Georgios Grivas Digenis (Γεώργιος Γρίβας Διγενής) statue

Georgis Karyos (Γεώργιος Κάρυος) bust

Giorgos Nikolaou (Γεώργιος Νικολάου) and Stelios Triteos (Στέλιος Τριταίος) busts

Grigoris Afxentiou (Γρηγόρης Αυξεντίου) bust

Grigoris Afxentiou (Γρηγόρης Αυξεντίου) bust

Grigoris Afxentiou (Γρηγόρης Αυξεντίου) statue

Grigoris Afxentiou (Γρηγόρης Αυξεντίου) statue

Iakovos Patatsos (Ιάκωβος Πατάτσος) statue

Ioannis Hadjipavlou Ioannides (Ιωάννης Xατζηπαύλου Ιωαννίδης) bust

Kyriakos Karaolis (Κυριάκος Καραολής) bust

Kyriakos Matsis (Κυριάκος Μάτσης) bust

Kyriakos Matsis (Κυριάκος Μάτσης) statue

Kyriakos Matsis (Κυριάκος Μάτσης) statue

Leonidas Papakostas (Λεωνίδας Παπακώστας) bust

Liberty Monument

Liberty Monument – Memorial to Grigoris Afxentiou (Γρηγόρης Αυξεντίου)

Liberty sculpture

Liopetri Barn

Loukas A. Louka (Λουκάς Α. Λουκά) bust

Machairas commemoration place

Major General Tasos Markou (Τάσος Μάρκου) statue

Markos Drakos (Μάρκος Δράκος) statue

Memorial to Anafotia heroes

Memorial to Archbishop Makarios III (Αρχιεπίσκοπος Μακάριος Γ’)

Memorial to Archbishop Makarios III and to the dead fighters from Pafos

Memorial to Christos Kkelis (Χρίστος Κκέλης) and Georgios Michail (Γιώργος Μιχαήλ)

Memorial to Dimos Irodotou (Δήμος Ηροδότου) and Efstathios Xenofontos (Ευστάθιος Ξενοφώντος)

Memorial to Fotis Pittas (Φώτης Πίττας)

Memorial to Georgios Koulappis (Γεώργιος Κουλαππής)

Memorial to Kyriakos Nikolaou (Κυριάκος Νικολάου) and Christodoulos Kannaouros (Χριστόδουλος Καννάουρος)

Memorial to Michalakis Karaolis (Μιχαλάκης Καραολής)

Memorial to Savvas Rotsidis (Σάββας Ροτσίδης)

Memorial to Stavros Stylianidis and Pantelis Katelaris

Memorial to Stylianos Lenas (Στυλιανός Λένας) and to Dimitrakis Christodoulou (Δημητράκης Χριστοδούλου)

Memorial to the Pachna Heroes

Memorial to the “Pankyprio Gymnasium” dead students

Memorial to the Aradippou dead during the national fights

Memorial to the Athienou dead

Memorial to the Cypriot mother and the EOKA 1955-59 fighters

Memorial to the dead and missing

Memorial to the dead and missing

Memorial to the dead and missing of Empa & Georgios Christoforou bust

Memorial to the dead and to Nikitari Mother

Memorial to the EOKA 1955-59 fighters

Memorial to the EOKA 1955-59 fighters

Memorial to the EOKA 1955-59 fighters

Memorial to the EOKA 1955-59 fighters

 Memorial to the EOKA 1955-59 fighters from Neo Chorio

Memorial to the EOKA 1955-59 heroes

Memorial to the EOKA 1955-59 struggle (Liberty Monument)

Memorial to the Freedom Fighters

Memorial to the Galata dead

Memorial to the Geri dead and missing

Memorial to the Geri EOKA 1955-59 fighters

Memorial to the Lakatamia dead and missing & Grigoris Afxentiou (Γρηγόρης Αυξεντίου) bust

Memorial to the Lysi dead and missing

Memorial to the Pano Arodes EOKA 1955-59 dead

Memorial to the Paralimni dead and missing

Memorial to the Pitsilia Women Fighters

Memorial to the Polis Chrysochou dead

Memorial to the school generation

Memorial to the students who died during EOKA 1955-59

Memorial to the Tsada dead & Evagoras Pallikaridis (Ευαγόρας Παλληκαρίδης) bust

Michail Koukkis (Μιχαήλ Κουκκής) and Andreas Dimitriou (Ανδρέας Δημητρίου) busts

Michail Koutsoftas (Μιχαήλ Κουτσόφτας) and Andreas Panagidis (Ανδρέας Παναγίδης) busts

Michail Koutsoftas (Μιχαήλ Κουτσόφτας) and Andreas Panagidis (Ανδρέας Παναγίδης) busts

Michail Nikolaou (Μιχαήλ Νικολάου) bust

Michail Sava (Μιχαήλ Σάββα) statue

Michail Yiorgallas (Μιχαήλ Γιωργάλλας) bust

Michalakis Karaolis (Μιχαλάκης Καραολής) bust

Michalakis Paridis (Μιχαλάκης Παρίδης)

Michalakis Paridis (Μιχαλάκης Παρίδης) bust

Michalakis Paridis (Μιχαλάκης Παρίδης) statue

Monument to Liberty

Monument to Memory and Honor

Nikos Evagorou (Νίκος Ευαγόρου) bust

Nitsa Chatzigeorgiou (Νίτσα Χατζηγεωργίου) bust

Ourania Kokkinou (Ουρανία Κοκκίνου) bust

Panayiotis Toumazos (Παναγιώτης Τουμάζος) bust

Panayiotis Toumazos (Παναγιώτης Τουμάζος) statue

Petrakis Kyprianou (Πετράκης Κυπριανού) statue

Petrakis Kyprianou (Πετράκης Κυπριανού) statue

Petrakis Yallouros (Πετράκης Γιάλλουρος) bust

Petros Iliadis (Πέτρος Ηλιάδης) bust

Savvas Rotsidis (Σάββας Ροτσίδης) statue

Solomon Panagidis (Οικονόμος Σολομών Παναγίδης) bust

Sotiris Tsaggaris (Σωτήρης Τσαγγάρης) statue

Spyros Chatziyakoumis (Σπύρος Χ’’Γιακουμής) bust

Stavros Stylianidis (Σταύρος Στυλιανίδης) and Pantelis Katelaris (Παντελής Κατελάρης) busts

Stavros Stylianidis (Σταύρος Στυλιανίδης) bust

Stelios Mavrommatis (Στέλιος Μαυρομμάτης) bust

Stylianos Lenas (Στυλιανός Λένας) bust

Stylianos Lenas (Στυλιανός Λένας) bust

Stylianos Lenas (Στυλιανός Λένας) statue

Stylianos Lenas (Στυλιανός Λένας) statue

Takis Sofokleous (Τάκης Σοφοκλέους) bust

The 1955-59 Heroes’ grove

The EOKA 1955-59 guerrilla fighter statue and heroes’ busts

Yiannakis Christoforou (Γιαννάκης Χριστοφόρου) bust

Yiasoumis K. Theodosiou (Γιασουμής Κ. Θεοδοσίου) bust