ched. During this turmoil and mayhem Spetses town was being severely bombarded. Cosma Barbatsi (1792–1887), in an act of desperate defiance, rowed his tiny, gunpowder-rigged fire ship amidst a hail of enemy fire right through the Turkish ships to the very middle of their formation, and set the Turkish flagship ablaze. Rocked by explosions the ship burned, and when its gunpowder stores caught fire, it exploded and sank in front of the port. The actions of Barbatsi were decisive for the outcome of the battle, and the Turkish fleet retreated in disarray. The besieged castles of Nafplion were thus not relieved, and fell to the Greeks two and a half months later.
Armáta.
Each year, the second weekend of September is dedicated to celebratory events aimed at commemorating the events of the battle of Sept. 8, 1822, in combination with the feast of the chapel of Panagiá Armáta (the Madonna-in-arms), near the lighthouse. The events culminate with a re-enactment of the torching of the Turkish flagship in the harbor. Spetses is one of nine European cities that participates in the European Network of Historical Reconstructions (Brussels, Belgium; Dublin and Cork, Ireland; Bailen, Spain; Slavkov, Czech Republic; Tewksbury, UK; and Hydra and Spetses in Greece).
In wider culture
Spetses was the basis for the island of Phraxos in John Fowles 1965 major novel The Magus. Many fictional locations described there actually existed, including the "Lord Byron School" (the private Anargyrios & Korgialenios School of Spetses www.akss.net) and the "Villa Bourani" (located on the south side of the island above a popular public beach). Both School and Villa still exist, although the house is under private ownership
