Michalis Stivaros (; 1892 in

Pedoulas Pedoulas () is a village in the Nicosia District of Cyprus, located at an altitude of in the Troodos Mountains, 4 km south of Moutoullas. It lies in the Marathasa Valley. The name is derived from the words ''pediada'' (valley) and ''laos' ...

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

5 December 1912 in Bizani,

Epirus Epirus () is a Region#Geographical regions, geographical and historical region, historical region in southeastern Europe, now shared between Greece and Albania. It lies between the Pindus Mountains and the Ionian Sea, stretching from the Bay ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

) was a Cypriot soldier, voluntarily enlisted in Greek army and fighting in the

First Balkan war The First Balkan War lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and involved actions of the Balkan League (the Kingdoms of Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Greece, Greece and Kingdom of Montenegro, Montenegro) agai ...

. He was killed in prelude of

battle of Bizani The Battle of Bizani (, ''Máchi tou Bizaníou''; ) took place in Epirus on . The battle was fought between Greek and Ottoman forces during the last stages of the First Balkan War, and revolved around the forts of Bizani, which covered the app ...

in December 1912.

Life and work

Michalis Stivaros was born in 1892 in

, village in the Nicosia District of

. He grew up in his hometown Pedoulas, located at 1100 metres in the

Troodos Mountains Troodos or Trodos is the largest mountain range in Cyprus, located in roughly the center of the island. Its highest peak is Mount Olympusalso known in Greek as at . Covering a third of Cyprus's area, the Troodos mountain range stretches across ...

. He graduated the

Pancyprian Gymnasium The Pancyprian Gymnasium (), is the oldest still operational Lyceum, high school in Cyprus, founded in 1812. History In the location of the current school, an older school existed, established in 1753 known as Ellinomouseion (). The ''Pancypri ...

in 1911. In 1911 he enrolled in the Medical School of

Athens University The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA; , ''Ethnikó kai Kapodistriakó Panepistímio Athinón''), usually referred to simply as the University of Athens (UoA), is a public university in Athens, Greece, with various campuses alo ...

. At the outbreak of

First Balkan War The First Balkan War lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and involved actions of the Balkan League (the Kingdoms of Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Greece, Greece and Kingdom of Montenegro, Montenegro) agai ...

in October 1912, Michalis Stivaros signed up as a volunteer in the Greek Army, together with another 2000 Cypriots. He was in the 1st Battalion of the Independent Cretan Regiment. His unit, in which there were many Cypriot students, was sent to the front in

on October 23, 1912. He fought for liberation of Epirus from Turks. Michalis Stivaros took part in the battles of Peston, Aetorahi and Bizani. He was killed on December 5, 1912, in the prelude to the

Battle of Bizani The Battle of Bizani (, ''Máchi tou Bizaníou''; ) took place in Epirus on . The battle was fought between Greek and Ottoman forces during the last stages of the First Balkan War, and revolved around the forts of Bizani, which covered the app ...

. For long time his relatives considered him to be missing.

Monument

In the village of

Athanasios Ktorides Foundation Athanasios Ktorides Foundation is a non-profit Philanthropy, philanthropic organisation founded in 2008 by Nasos Ktorides, the first List of UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors#Cyprus, Cyprus Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF. The Foundation promotes sport a ...

built a monument dedicated to Stivaros and all those who died in the

in 2011. On a mountain top overlooking Pedoulas, the monument is erected as a symbol of the heroism of all Cypriots who fought in the Balkan wars. The Foundation also erected and unveiled bust of Michalis Stivaros on 28 October 2013 in

Ioannina Ioannina ( ' ), often called Yannena ( ' ) within Greece, is the capital and largest city of the Ioannina (regional unit), Ioannina regional unit and of Epirus (region), Epirus, an Modern regions of Greece, administrative region in northwester ...

in Greece. His name was engrave in column of fallen student of

and in column of fallen students of the

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stivaros, Michalis 1892 births 1912 deaths Greek Cypriots National and Kapodistrian University of Athens alumni Greek military personnel of the Balkan Wars

Life and work

Monument

See also

References