Tucked into the lush, fir-covered slopes of Mount Chelidona, directly across from Megalo Chorio in Evrytania, lies a storybook village both stunning and sorrowful. With only about 20 permanent residents today, Mikro Chorio ("Little Village") might seem like just another quiet mountain hamlet—but its rich, often dramatic past makes it anything but ordinary. Its history is deeply intertwined with Greece’s greatest national struggles—and eerily, with the number 13.
A Village Built by Dreamers
In the early 19th century, Mikro Chorio was considered one of the so-called Politohoria—villages whose residents often emigrated to Constantinople in pursuit of wealth and prosperity. Many who left eventually returned home successful, investing their fortunes in beautiful stone houses, complete with vaulted arches, traditional courtyards, and multi-level living spaces. Sadly, most of these homes were located in the section of the village that would later be lost in a devastating landslide in 1963.
A Legacy of Resistance
Mikro Chorio played an active role in pivotal chapters of Greek history. During the Greek War of Independence, local fighters took part in the Battle of Kefalovryso in 1823, under the legendary Markos Botsaris. According to local lore, this is where Botsaris sustained his fatal wounds, breathing his last near a spring still known as Vromovrysi, along the road to Agios Sostis.
Later, villagers fought in both the Balkan Wars and World War I—many of them keeping detailed diaries, some of which are now preserved in the village’s Historical and Folklore Museum.
The Battle of Mikro Chorio
During the Axis Occupation of Greece in World War II, the village became a stronghold of the Greek Resistance. On December 18, 1942, a key battle between ELAS fighters and Italian troops took place here, known as the Battle of Mikro Chorio. While the partisans inflicted heavy losses on the Italians, the retaliation was brutal: 13 hostages were executed, two more residents—priest Dimitris Vastakis and policeman Charalambos Katsimpas—were burned alive, and much of the village was torched.
In the years that followed, the resistance movement continued to operate in the area. When German forces advanced in 1943, the Resistance’s printing press was moved from Karpenisi to the nearby village of Gavros, and later to a small shop in Mikro Chorio. From there, newspapers such as Roumeli, Roumeliotissa, and reprints of Rizospastis were published. But in August 1944, another German raid destroyed what was left of the village, including the makeshift press. The survivors relocated the operation to Krikello.
The Tragedy of 1963
Despite the devastation, Mikro Chorio slowly began to rebuild. But fate had one more cruel twist in store.
"It rained for 13 days straight. It was Sunday, January 13, 1963—9:13 in the morning—when the landslide happened. Thirteen people were killed,” recalls a survivor, who was just six years old at the time.
On that morning, a massive section of Mount Kri collapsed, burying most of the village beneath tons of rock and earth. Looking up today at the scarred face of the mountain, locals and visitors alike are reminded of the unimaginable tragedy. For those who know the story, the memories come unbidden. For those who don’t, it might seem like just another rocky slope—silent, but scarred forever.
A Village Marked by Strength—and the Number 13
Despite its quiet appearance today, Mikro Chorio’s history echoes with courage, resilience, and loss. From its role in historic battles to the natural disaster that nearly wiped it off the map, the village stands as a monument to the strength of its people.
And through it all, one number haunts its past: 13—the date of its darkest day, the number of lives lost, and the symbol of a sorrow that has forever etched itself into the soul of this magical mountain village.
