It was the Friday, 1st of April 1955, just a little before the sunrise above the occupied sky of Cyprus, when the island awake from the explosions. The morning sea breeze transfered a voice with it. A voice coming from the depth of the Greeks’ history saying that “Greeks, wherever you are, hear our voice: All together for the freedom of our island of Cyprus”.
In reply to this, young people left their schools. They left their fields. The left their scaffolds. They folded their youthful dreams carefully and delivered them to their Mother, going uphill to find the steps going towards Freedom. Upon listening to this voice, they dug into the rock, they carved the stone and made a house on the Cypriot house. (words coming from Cypriot poems)
In an unequal battle that was the greatest revolutionary reaction of the Cypriot People after the complete participation in the war of 1821, the young people fell dead or were transformed into ash while shouting “Zito i Enosis” (Long Live Enosis = union with Greece).
The mountains of Papoutsa, Madari, Kykkos, Machairas, Troodos echo to the call of this voice. The revolution arises. It covers every corner of Cyprus. Each house is transformed into a sanctuary. Every mountain peak is shelter.
The colonial power, offered independence when they saw that they could not tame the unbeatable glaucus light that spread above Cyprus. The men that were once boys without moustache, obeyed the political authority and disarmed their makeshift arms to take the road back home.
Their tears were their only consolement for a dream that did not come true. They looked at each other and they responded to the roll call. A hundred and eighteen did not reply.
The voice was not heard anymore above the skies of Cyprus, while the rain washed away the tears from the faces of the Fighters, on its effort to show them that the battle was not over.
The Republic of Cyprus, year 1997, Sunday. 38 years of silence went by and a Monument was built on a peak of the mountain of Egklisi, where about 4 decades ago a handful of boys holding a makeshift weapon in one hand and their Immortal Hellenic Soul in the other, faced hundreds of fully armed soldiers of the colonial power. The Monument “shows” to all of us the younger people our duty towards our Country and it reminds the older ones of the gallantry it takes to be considered as “free”.
The Propylaea “show” the link between the reason of the battle with the earth itself. On the east, the Cypriot land “holds” the propylaea on its shoulders just like Atlas. On the west, a series of marble columns hold the door taking you to the place of the Immortals “standing”. Just inside the porch, a Hellenistic type capital, buried deep in the Cypriot earth emphasises to everyone that this island is part of Hellenism.
From the moment you decide to continue entering, you should know that you are found in a Holy space. The names of the Greek Cypriots that were killed such by English as by Turkish gendarmes, appear on five huge marble columns. A little further, you will find the fighters’ hall where everything regarding the battle is found.
From there on, a path begins. This path was envisioned by Evagoras Pallikaridis decades ago. It is uphill and takes you up to the hill of the mountain of Egklisi, where the Monument in honour of the dead fighters is found. The path that makes up 650 metres was divided chronologically. Each period has a step, and there is a total number of 108. A step that symbolises a dead fighter put in the order they fell and met history to go to Immortality. Next to it there is a column with a name. Upon reading it, you are filled with awe. The history itself is found in front of you, gets into you and changes you.
During the 650 metres of the path of Freedom, you learn as much as you cannot learn from thousands of books and on the peak you will find the church of Panagia tis Eleftherotrias “welcoming” you and “calling” you to honour the dead of the revolution.
