THE HISTORY OF VATOUSA

THE TRADITIONAL VILLAGE OF LESVOS

A BRIEF HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF VATOUSA

Vatousa is one of the five traditional settlements of Lesvos, designated by the Ministry of Culture. According to the 2011 census, it has a population of 574 inhabitants, of which 24 of the settlement of Remas, which is part of it, have been counted.

Its history dates back to late Byzantine times. Its name, according to one version, comes from the adjective Vatoessa, which means the area where bushes abound. According to one version, from the composition of the adjective ‘vatos’ and the participle ‘ousa’, which gives the name Vatousa.*

The visitor, from the very first moment, can admire its beautiful cobbled streets, its houses of magnificent architecture, all stone-built with tiled roofs, elements that preserve the traditional colour of the village, which is why the inhabitants religiously observe all the regulations governing the need to preserve this colour. At the same time, the greenery, which embraces the village and springs out of every courtyard, is taken care of in order to harmonize in the most beautiful way with its traditional character.

In Vatousa you will see impressive buildings, such as the Mansion of Gogos, the old Parthenagodikeion, the ecclesiastical (Byzantine) Museum and the Boys' School, which is the current Primary School. Separate churches are the Church of Taxiarches, and the central basilica without a dome, the Church of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary.

The village has several attractions to offer. The mansion of Gogos with the urban architecture of the last century, like all the mansions of Mytilene of the same period, stands out in it. This building, with the care of the community authority and associations and with the support of the residents, became a pole of attraction for local and foreign visitors. Here they can admire the two priceless libraries (Grigorios – Taksios) with rare publications of the 18th and 19th century. In the same building there is a museum of folk art and household items, a lending library and an exhibition of historical photographs of the life of the village and its diaspora.
The two churches of the village are also of considerable interest. One of the churches of Taxiarches is older (1832 – 33) with pagan elements of decoration. It is a basilica without a dome, a common style of the Eastern Aegean and Asia Minor. There is also the village cemetery, which has the rare (or unique) peculiarity of having built graves.

The central church of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary (1850) is of the same style, built entirely of chipped stone. The temple’s iconostasis is entirely carved in wood, with wonderful illustrations, also an example of Aegean Christian art. In the courtyard of this church there is the Ecclesiastical (Byzantine) Museum of Vatousis with remarkable exhibits. It is worth visiting this museum as well.

Two other buildings also attract the attention of the visitor. There is the old Vatoussis partenagogue, a building of the early 19th century, which today serves as a guesthouse. On the western side of the village and next to the other church is the other building. It is the famous Vatoussis Boys’ School, the present primary school, which is also maintained in good condition.

Vatoussa is the birthplace of many prominent men, who distinguished themselves during the Turkish occupation and later. Archimandrite Gregorios Gagos, a prominent theologian, John Takis, professor of philosophy and Greek at Halki, Anthony Charilaos, professor of Greek at the Great School of the Nation, Ignatios Economides, Bishop of Erseca and later Bosnia-Herzegovina, and the historian of Lesvos, Stavros Takis. Later, Iakovos Anastasiades, eminent pedagogue and director of the Vatusis semi-gymnasium, and his children Terpandros, George and Euripides Anastasiades, eminent journalists in Istanbul, Izmir and Cairo. Doros Doris (T. Theodorides) the paradoxical poet of the Lesbian Spring also came from Vatoussa. Finally, the great film producer James Parris (Dim. Paraschakis, a veteran missionary fighter of El Alamein) is also from Vatousia, who, during his lifetime, was a major benefactor of the village. Characteristic of his love for his native town was that he presented his works there for the first time in an unofficial premiere.
Today, thanks to the tireless efforts of its inhabitants, led by the community authority, Vatousa is trying to survive in difficult times, while seeking to keep its traditional colour intact. The challenge is great. The struggle is difficult. Its survival, the preservation of its character, like every traditional settlement and even every corner of our country, is everyone’s business.

*According to the comprehensive trident adjectives of the ancient in -oei-oessa-oen, such as, anemoi-anemoi-anemoi (place with many winds), asteroi-asteroessa (the US flag with many stars), oenoi-oenoessa oenoen, a place with many vines, the Oenussians. Hence also βαtoεις, βαtoessa (and by extension βατούσσα), place where bushes abound. And it is no coincidence that in many scriptures and seals we find the name of the village as Vatoussa. I find the other version of Vatusa to be derived from vati-usa i.e. place that is passable, accessible less probable. Consistent with the first version is the tradition according to which the icon of the Virgin Mary, the patron saint of the village, was found among the bushes that abound in the village flora.

Yannis Manoukas