Church of the Transfiguration,
Pythagorio

(ο Ιερός Ναός της Μεταμορφώσεως του Σωτήρος, the Holy Church of the Metamorphosis of the Saviour)

The church was built 1831-1833, at the end of Greek War of Independence, by Lykourgos Logothetis (see below) in the grounds of the Castle of Logothetis.

The church was dedicated to the Transfiguration of Christ [1] to commemorate the Greek victory at the naval Battle of Samos against the Turkish fleet, which took place in the Samos Strait on 5th August 1824. By 6th August, the day on which the Transfiguration is celebrated by the Greek Orthodox Church, the Samians were safe - for the time being.

On the plinth of the bust of Lykourgos Logothetis in the churchyard is the following inscription in Greek:

"Λυκούργος Λογοθέτης
Χριστος Σαμον εσωσεν
εkτη Αυγουστου 1824
Δωρητής Εμμανουήλ Στέφ[ανος] Μωραΐτης"

"Lykourgos Logothetis
Christ saved Samos 6th August 1824
Donated by Emmanouil Stefanos Moraitis"

The word "saved" is not an overstatement, as the inhabitants of nearby Chios and Psara which, like Samos, declared independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1821, had recently been massacred after the islands were captured by Turkish forces.

Logothetis vowed to build the church as an act of gratitude for the victory, but due to the continuing war and consequent economic problems, building did not begin until 27 February 1831.

Logothetis planned the building himself and made a wax model of the design. The construction was supervised by Georgios Petros from the Cretan village of Marathos, and completed on 15 June 1833.

Lykourgos Logothetis

George Lykourgos Logothetis (Γεώργιος Λυκούργος Λογοθέτης, 1772-1850, often referred to as Lycurgus Logothetis) was a leader in the Greek War of Independence (Ελληνική Επανάσταση, Elliniki Epanastasi; also known as the Greek Revolution, 1821-1829).

Born George Paplomatas (Γεώργιος Παπλωματάς), the son of a shipowner in Karlovasi, on the north coast of Samos, he changed his name when he became a member of the Filiki Eteria (Φιλική Εταιρεία, Society of Friends), the secret society dedicated to establishing an independent Greek state.

He studied in Constantinople (today Istanbul), then worked as an official in the administration of Konstantinos Ypsilantis (Κωνσταντίνος Υψηλάντης, 1760–1816), the ruler of Wallachia (now part of Romania) 1802-1806.

He became ruler of Samos from 1807 until 1812 when he was ousted due to political rivalries on the island. In exile he became a member of the Filiki Eteria, which was led from April 1820 by Alexandros Ypsilantis (Αλέξανδρος Υψηλάντης, 1792-1828) the son of his former employer.

He returned to Samos in April 1821, at the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence, and was made the political and military leader of the rebel island which claimed independence from Ottoman Turkey and established a revolutionary government with its own constitution. In the summer of the same year the Samians thwarted a Turkish attempt to capture the island.

In 1824 Koca Hüsrev Mehmed Pasha (1769–1855), Kapudan Pasha (Kapudan Paşa or Kaptan-ı derya, grand admiral) of the Turkish navy, captured the nearby island of Psara and massacred its inhabitants. His fleet then attacked Samos.

The Greek fleet, commanded by George Sachtouris (Γεώργιος Σαχτούρης, 1783-1841), forced the Turkish fleet to withdraw at the Battle of Samos (η Ναυμαχία της Σάμου) on 5th August 1824 (Julian calendar; 17th August in the modern Gregorian calendar [2]). The Greek success was largely due to the use of fireships set off by Constantine Kanaris (Κωνσταντίνος Κανάρης, circa 1795 – 1877 [3], later admiral and prime minister of Greece) which destroyed three Turkish ships.

The battle was inevitably compared to another famous Greek military victory off the coast of Samos, the Battle of Mykale (η Μάχη της Μυκάλης) on 27th August 479 BC, when the allied Greek city states, including Athens, Sparta and Corinth, defeated the fleet of Persian King Xerxes I on the coast of the Mykale peninsula.

Later in the same month, on August 29th 1824 (Julian calendar), the success of the Greek fleet at the Battle of Gerontas (η Ναυμαχία του Γέροντα), off the island of Leros, consolidated Greek control of Samos, although the Turks made another attempt to take the island in summer 1826.

In 1828 the island was incorporated into the First Hellenic Republic (Αʹ Ελληνική Δημοκρατία, 1822–1832) under Governor Ioannis Kapodistrias. However, according to the treaties which ended the war, on terms laid out by Britain, Russia and France (particularly the Treaty of Constantinople, 1832, and the London Protocols of 1830 and 1832), Samos was to be returned to Turkish control as a nominally autonomous principality.

The Samians refused to accept this arrangement, and Logothetis declared Samos an independent state governed by its own constitution of 1821. Pressure from the Great Powers and the arrival of another Ottoman fleet in May 1834 forced the revolutionary leaders and many other Samians to flee to Halkida on Euboea.

Logothetis, who the Greek state gave the rank of colonel, went to live in Athens where he became a senator, and eventually died in May 1850.

1. The Transfiguration of Christ

Also known as the Metamorphosis of the Saviour (Greek, Μεταμορφώσεως του Σωτήρος, Metamorfoseos tou Sotiros), celebrated on 6th August, is an important holy day in the calendar of the Greek Orthodox Church. The feast is also recognized by other Christian denominations, although some celebrate it on other dates.

According to accounts in the New Testament by Matthew (17:1-9), Mark (9:2-8) and Luke (9:28-36), Jesus took three of his disciples, Peter, James (son of Zebedee) and John (brother of James), to a mountain where he revealed himself as the Son and messenger of God in a miraculous and dramatic manner.

In the Gospel according to Matthew (17:2), Jesus "was transfigured before them; his face shining as the sun, and his garments became white as the light." The prophets Moses and Elijah (Elias) appear and Jesus speaks with them. Then a bright cloud appears, from which they hear a voice saying: "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him." The disciples fall to the ground in fear, but Jesus tells them not to be afraid. When they look up the apparitions have vanished.

The accounts of these events in all three gospels are almost identical. It seems odd that John, the only gospel author who was actually present, does not mention the Transfiguration, although some scholars see an allusion to it in John 1:14: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth."

Peter also alludes to the event in his Second Epistle General (2 Peter 1:16-18): "For we have not followed cunningly devised fables when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. And this voice, which came from heaven, we heard when we were on the holy mount."

2. The Julian and Gregorian calendars

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