Grigoris Afxentiou

Timeline Events

22-02-1928
Birth of hero
Born in 1928 on the 22nd of February in the city of Lysi, today in the occupied part of Famagusta.
03-03-1957
Death of hero
He fell on the 3rd of March 1957 in the area of the holy monastery of Machairas in the a battle against the occupier.

Grigoris Afxentiou

Burned Imprisoned Graves Lysi Machairas

Biography

Born in 1928 on the 22nd of February in the city of Lysi¹, today in the occupied part of Famagusta.

He fell on the 3rd of March 1957 in the area of the holy monastery of Machairas² in the a battle against the occupier.

Contrary to most of the EOKA fighters, Afxentiou had military experience as he studied at the reserve officers school of Greece and served in the Greek army afterwards.

He was a very sportive person and also married.

After his return to Cyprus in 1953 he became very active on the social and national field. In the beginning of January 1955, general Grivas didn't ask Afxentiou to make the general oath but he accepted his words on his military honour. Afxentiou became the first head of EOKA in the Famagusta area and organized many attacks against the occupier.

The desperate occupier put a big amount on the head of Afxentiou so he took refuge in the mountains. On December 1955 he managed to confuse 2 groups of British soldiers so they started fighting eachother.

Afxentiou operated under the pseudonyms Zidros, Aias, Aris, Rigas, Zotos and Antaios.

On the third of March 1957, the occupier managed to surround Afxentiou his hideout near Machaira after he was betrayed. After hours of battle, being outnumbered and outgunned, Afxentiou ordered his companions Antonis Papadopoulos, Andreas Stylianou, Avgoustis Efstathiou and Phidias Symeonides to leave the cave.

His plan was to hold the battle till nightfall and to escape from the siege on the cave. The British realized what his aim was and they set fire on the hideout, burning Afxentiou alive. Out of fear of rallies and anger of the Greek people, Afxentiou was buried in the Central Prison in Nicosia in the Imprisoned Graves³.