Thymios Lolis (1880 - June 16, 1961)

Thymios Lolis (1880 - June 16, 1961

Born in the village of Krania, midway between Agioi Saranda and Delvino in Northern Epirus, he was a leading figure in the struggle for Northern Epirote Autonomy and Independence.

A Patriotic Greek, in 1904 he went to Macedonia to participate in the Macedonian Struggle (1904-08).

By 1912 he had returned to Northern Epirus. Ιn Argyrokastro, he organised with others for the liberation of Northern Epirus, which would come in 1914 via autonomy and all was in place, for the future incorporation of Northern Epirus with the rest of Greece.

The outbreak of WW1 and the interference of Italy meant it would never come into fruition.

In the 1930’s he was involved in the fight to stop the persecution of the Greeks of Northern Epirus by the Albanian state, who were closing down Greek Orthodox Churches and Greek schools and infringing on the rights of the Greeks.

By the 1940’s he was into his 60’s, but still fought in the Greco-Italian War of 1940, helping the advance of the Greek Army into Northern Epirus and helping to liberate numerous Greek towns and villages once again.

Thymios Lolis was also instrumental in the forming of the Northern Epirus Liberation Front (Μέτωπο Απελευθέρωσης Βορείου Ηπείρου) in the 1940’s. A true Hero of Northern Epirus.

He died in Athens in 1961.