‘Metochi’

During the end of the 19th century and the population exchange, they were dynamic, self-reliant, agrarian units. They provided food security to their residents while also yielding crops large enough to allow for trade. There were ‘metochi’ estates that one could visit to buy olive or grape products, citrus, grain, vegetables, etc. 

These important production units became exchangeable lands after the signing of the Lausanne Treaty. Most of their owners were Muslims and several of them were deemed ‘exchangeable’ themselves. As a result, most of these estates ended up at the state’s disposal for redistribution to the Christian refugees.

Many refugee families settled on this newly available land as a form of agricultural rehabilitation. The buildings were divided into long rectangular rooms and were granted to the refugees as housing, while the land was distributed for farming. All ancillary facilities, such as wells, were shared by the new residents to serve their needs. 

Chrysoula Georgousaki, née Paspati, remembers: ‘My father came here and lived with his children. This used to be the ‘metochi’ of Meltzani Bey and it housed six families. Their names were: Leivaditis, Katimertzoglou, Vertzini, two more people named Leivaditis, one person named Katerinis, and us, the Paspatis family. They each got one room. The house had two floors and a wooden staircase, the courtyard was paved with gravel, and the toilets were outside. On the other side of the house, there was an outbuilding and a fountain where water sprang.’ (‘People from Asia Minor in Nea Chora. Testimony: Georgousaki Chrysoula, née Paspati’ in Municipality of Chania, Nea Chora: Washed by the sea, Chania 2012, p. 154).

However, the fragmentation of the land and the refugees’ particular needs changed the character of these estates. The co-habitation of multiple families in spaces built to serve the needs of only one proved difficult and it is likely that the economic model of the ‘metochi’ failed when the land got divided into small plots. In addition, the fact that the land was so close to the city limits encouraged many of the refugees to look for employment there instead of engaging in agricultural activity which was the original purpose of their rehabilitation.    

As a result, the ‘metochi’ estates steadily declined over the years. After the war, this decline pushed many refugees to resettle elsewhere. The history of these estates is attested by the state of their facilities, as most of their buildings on the outskirts of Chania lie derelict and dilapidated.

In contrast, the few of them that were not fragmented, but instead remained intact units and adapted to the demands of the modern economy, are now thriving in various forms: as residences, guest houses, or agricultural units. These were the ones that, even after the refugee wave of 1922-1924, continued to be financially viable and employed a large number of refugees and migrants. Even today, they provide employment to a varied labour force from the Global South at multiple skill levels.