The Lady of Ro: A symbol of Hellenism

She became a symbol of Greek resistance to occupation by living alone on the islet of Ro near Kastellorizo, at the eastermost tip of Greece.

In 1927, Achladioti sailed with her husband, Kostas Achladiotis (Κώστας Αχλαδιώτης), from Kastellorizo to the nearby deserted island of Ro where they lived off of a few goats, chickens, and a vegetable garden. In 1940, her husband got sick, Achladioti started three fires in order to inform the residents of Kastelorizo that they needed help, but her husband died on a boat which came to help. Achladioti then brought her blind mother to the islet, while later she personally rowed her mother's remains back to Kastellórizo for burial Her resolve and perseverence led many to compare her to heroines like Joan d'Arc

Achladioti's most renowned deed is that every day she would fly a Greek flag over the island, even though the island was not formally part of Greece (as with the rest of the Dodecanese controlled by Italy) until 1948. During WW II, she helped the members of the Greek raiding commando unit known as "The Sacred Band" in their operations against Axis forces in the Dodecanese.

She raised the flag every day, regardless of the weather, from the time she arrived on the island until her death on May 13, 1982 at the age of 92. Despite not having veteran status, she was buried on the island with full military honours.

A Greek military unit is now based on the island, with the main duty of keeping the tradition of raising the flag.

The grave of Despina Achladioti

The small chapel on Ro, next to her grave

Soldiers serving on Ro leave shards and pebbles with their names in the chapel as a tribute and an honor

Military watchtower next to its ancient predecessor