The village of Vassileoniko is located 6 kilometers Southwest of the
city of Chios, capital of the Prefecture, and very close to the . The name Vassileoniko
or Vassileonikos is compound by the words Vassileon and Oikos (Vassileon = of
the Kings and -(o)ikos = home) and according to the popular tradition it came
from the residence of a king who once lived in the village. It is also mentioned
on Attalos?s sign which was found in Asia Minor. In 1881, a destructive earthquake
leveled the whole village, which according to "The History of Chios" written by
G. Zolotas, was composed by a few houses with a central church, the last of which
exists until today and is called Agios Georgios. The local tradition says, however,
that at the village there were only three houses, in the so called Valide Tsiflik
(=Property of Sultan?s Wife) near the castle of Doxara.
The temple of Agios Georgios was in the center of the village and
it was a small one with only two windows. After the earthquake, a greater one
was built by the citizens of the village, who apart from having been known to
be the best gardeners, were also excellent builders. The estates of the Sultans
found in that area, were rented for 200 coins annually as a tax to the Sultan?s
wife. The tenants were obliged along with the citizens of Dafnona and those of
Karies, to watch and maintain the aqueducts of the town. After the slaughter of
1770 in Peloponnisos, families from there came to Chios and settled in Vassileoniko
with the permission of the Turk supervisor (Agas), since the village was being
closed with gates that opened only with his permission.
