SERIAL: ONE CENTURY OF PERSECUTION

Part 1: Chakalarov versus Karavangelis – The Struggle for the Soul of Kostur

“History is not written only through victories and defeats. Sometimes it is written through abandoned homes, closed churches, erased names, and people who carry the pain of a lost homeland throughout their entire lives.”

At the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century, Macedonia became one of the most dangerous places in the Balkans. Formally, it was still part of the Ottoman Empire, but in reality it had already become a battleground between several competing national programs.

In the villages of Kostur, Lerin, and Voden, ordinary people were confronted with a frightening question:

“Whose are you?”

Not whom do you like.

Not how do you feel.

But to whom do you belong.

To the Exarchate or the Patriarchate?

To Sofia, Athens, or Belgrade?

In this struggle, the Macedonian peasant often became a victim of interests far greater than their own.

The Emergence of Vasil Chakalarov

In the village of Smrdesh, in the Kostur region, a man was born in 1874 who would later become one of the legends of the Macedonian revolutionary movement.

That man was Vasil Chakalarov, a commander of the Macedonian Revolutionary Organization, known for his courage, organizational skills, and uncompromising attitude toward all forces seeking to dominate the population of Kostur. (Vasil Chakalarov)

Chakalarov quickly realized that the struggle was not only against Ottoman authority.

More and more frequently, various structures began operating across the Kostur region, attempting to attract the local population to different national causes.

The struggle for Macedonia had already begun.

The Bishop Who Came with a Mission

During the same period, a man arrived in Kostur who would leave a deep mark on the region’s history.

That man was Germanos Karavangelis, Metropolitan Bishop of Kastoria.

In Greek historiography, he is often portrayed as a defender of the Greek cause.

In Macedonian collective memory, however, his name remains associated with years of intense assimilation efforts, pressure on the local population, and opposition toward the Slavic-speaking inhabitants who refused to accept a Greek national identity.

His activities extended far beyond the responsibilities of a church leader.

He established contacts with armed Greek bands, local informants, and influential families.

Gradually, the metropolitanate of Kastoria became the center of a broader political and national struggle.

When Faith Becomes a Weapon

For many Macedonian villages, affiliation with the Exarchate was not merely a religious issue.

It was a matter of language, education, and national consciousness.

Every transition from one ecclesiastical jurisdiction to another created conflict.

Villages became divided.

Families were torn apart.

Neighbors stopped speaking to one another.

Kostur was no longer merely a geographical region.

It had become a front line.

Captain Metaxas and the Andartes

Yet behind the bishop stood armed men.

Among the names still mentioned in testimonies from the Kostur region is Captain Metaxas, one of the leaders of the Greek armed bands operating in the area.

While Karavangelis served as the spiritual and political organizer, the field commanders acted as the executors on the ground.

These were years during which villages were visited in the dead of night.

Loyalties were demanded.

Informants were sought.

Allies were recruited.

And traitors were hunted.

For many Macedonians of Kostur, the andartes became a symbol of a violent period in which every national affiliation could mean life or death.

The Enigma Called Kote Ruljata

Another figure emerges in this complex story.

Controversial.

Mysterious.

And still debated to this day.

That figure was Kote Hristov, better known as Kote Ruljata.

Initially connected with the revolutionary movement, Kote later entered into serious conflict with the Organization.

A death sentence was reportedly issued against him on charges of lawlessness and banditry, but according to historical accounts, the sentence was never carried out due to the intervention of Goce Delchev.

This is where one of the greatest historical controversies begins.

Was Kote a traitor?

Was he merely a man trying to survive in brutal times?

Or was he a figure manipulated by forces far larger than himself?

Historians still do not agree on a single answer.

A Conflict That Became Legend

By the beginning of the twentieth century, the lines had already been drawn.

On one side stood Chakalarov’s supporters.

On the other stood Greek armed activism.

And between them stood figures such as Kote.

Villages became divided.

The mountains became refuges.

Every day brought new uncertainty.

The storm that would eventually erupt into the Ilinden Uprising was already gathering on the horizon.

The Beginning of a Longer Tragedy

What few people realized at the time was that this conflict would not end with Ilinden.

It would not end with the Balkan Wars.

Nor with the First World War.

Instead, it would continue throughout the entire twentieth century.

With new borders.

New governments.

New persecutions.

Renamed villages.

Closed schools.

Confiscated homes.

And eventually, thousands of children who would be torn away from their parents during the Greek Civil War.

But that story was only just beginning.

In the next installment, we will explore the most controversial figure in the revolutionary history of Kostur:

“Kote Ruljata: Hero, Outlaw, or Traitor?”

To be continued…