June 9th, 1821 - Cyprus joins the Revolution of 1821.
Three ships sailed from Cyprus carrying with them their own War Flag, as well as around 1,000 Fighters on their way to fight for the Greek cause.
They were led by Konstantinos Kanaris and Christodoulos Chatzipetros, creating the Phalanx of Cypriots.
Landing in the Peloponnese, the Cypriots were welcomed with rapturous applause by the locals.
Back in Cyprus, Archbishop Kyprianos did whatever he could to assist the Greek Revolution, sending numerous supplies to aid the cause.
When the Turks occupying Cyprus learned of what was going on, they rounded up and executed 500 leading figures of the island and 2,000 more Greeks.
Archbishop Kyprianos was himself later hanged by the Turks and is remembered as a noble patriot and defender of the Hellenic cause and the Orthodox faith.
The Cypriot War Flag and the names of the 580 Cypriots who lost their lives fighting in the Greek War of Independence are kept in the National Library of Greece.
READ MORE: OTD in 1847: Greek War of Independence Hero Mavrovouniotis dies.
