Among the many tragic chapters in the history of Kato Panagia during the Asia Minor Catastrophe, the sacrifice of the village's young scouts stands out; they were among the victims of the persecutions and massacres of 1922.

Scouting experienced significant growth in Asia Minor between 1919 and 1922. Young scouts played an active role in the life of Greek communities, serving as messengers, assisting with charitable initiatives, and supporting the local society. These activities made them targets of the Turkish authorities and irregular forces during the period of the Catastrophe.

In Kato Panagia, during the days of the catastrophe, the Turkish authorities had already arrested the village's clergy, teachers, notables, and scouts. Many of them were held at the fortress of Çeşme, where they were subjected to torture alongside other prominent members of the community.

Among the young scouts who were martyred was 14-year-old Kostas Theofanidis—son of the teacher Ioannis Theofanidis—as well as his classmates Kyriakos Michalos, Athanasios Kambanis, and Dimitrios Oikonomidis; they shared the fate of hundreds of our fellow villagers.

Kato Panagia paid a heavy price in blood in August 1922. Approximately 800 of the village's inhabitants were massacred or perished in dungeons and forced labor battalions. Many others were taken prisoner into the depths of the East, while only a few ultimately managed to return and reach Greece as refugees.

The memory of the Scouts of Kato Panagia is today an integral part of the village's history. Together with the teachers, the clergy, and the other witnesses of the community, they symbolize the strength of a generation that faced uprooting yet left behind a legacy of courage, faith, and love for the homeland.

DP