Petros Christou (1887 – June 22, 1908)

Petros Christou (1887 – June 22, 1908)

From the Greek village of Velousina, south of Monastiri in Macedonia, he was a teacher and Macedonian Fighter during the Macedonian Struggle (1904-08).

After first working as a teacher in the villages surrounding his own home village, he joined the Macedonian Struggle in 1905.

He first joined up with the armed groups, led by Cretan fighters such as Georgios Tsontos and Georgios Dikonimos, who were operating between Florina and Monastiri.

Petros Christou, soon linked up with other Macedonian locals such as Pavlos Nikolaidis, who were instrumental in several successful attacks against the Bulgarian komitatzides and by 1907, Petros Christou and his forces led the defense of the Greek villages between Florina and Monastiri.

In 1908, during a skirmish with a Turk detachment, Christou took out one of the Turk leaders, making him now a marked man for the Bulgarians and Turks.

Christou retreated to the Greek village of Voukovo, where he was captured and taken by the Turk authorities to Monastiri, where he was hanged.

Today, A bust of Petros Christou is located in Florina.