Battle of Arachova

The Battle of Arachova in 1826: The battle of Arachova was one of the most decisive moments in the history of the Greek Revolution. It came in a period when the Revolution of 1821 had almost been suspended by the Turks and it was the personal success of an intelligent general, Georgios Karaiskakis, and some other brave Greeks.

In November 1826, things were bad for the Greeks, whose revolution had almost ended unsuccessfully after the Exodus of Mesolongi in the previous April. Only some small troops in the mountains were still fighting the Turks, but they were usually defeated.

To give courage to the Greeks and to stop a Turkish army group which was descending from Thessaly to southern Greece, general Georgios Karaiskakis, who had won in many battles, took his army from Athens and went to battle against the Turks. He met the Turkish troops in the town of Arachova, in the church of Agios Georgios.

There was a big battle around the church, which lasted for 6 days, from November 18th to November 24th. Finally, the Greeks won, killed most of the Turkish soldiers and set Arachova free. After this severe battle, the Greek Revolution started again with more enthusiasm.

The inhabitants believed that Saint Georgios, the protector of the church, helped them to win. To honor his memory, they started a festival called Panigiraki every year on his name day. Moreover, they built a statue to Georgios Karaiskakis that lies today in front of the church.