submitted by Dean Coroneos on 12.05.2010
Superbly designed. The "flat stone" effect is unique and effective. Designed by young Kytherian architect Andreas Mariatos. Built with the aid of a grant from Aναπυζιακή Εταιρεί Kυδηρων (A.Ε. (AN.KY. A.E.) - the Development Agency of Kythera (S.A. (AN.KY. S.A.). Sponsored by the European Union.
submitted by Kytherian Newsletter Sydney on 12.05.2010
Author: Ioannis Γ Kasimatis Author's Tel., Athens: 210 90 10 320 When Published: 2005 Publisher: Athelfi (Brothers) Vlassi Λόντου 2-4 Aθήνα. 106 81 Tηλ: 210 38 12 900, 210 38 33 013 Fax: 210 38 27 557 www.vlassi.gr Language: Greek Available: Bookshop at Kondolianika, Kythera Email, here Description: 133 page, paperback edition ISBN: 960-302-231-4 A Book Review The Kytherian, Newsletter of the Kytherian Association of Australia, Sydney, January 2006, page 9. The quaint village of Milopotamos on Kythera is famous for its running water and waterfalls. Less known is the large number of old water mills which once operated in this little village and from which the town derives its name. The well known Kytherian author, Ioannis Cassimatis, has recently published an interesting and very readable book in Greek, The Water Mills of Kvthera (Bros. Vlassi, Athens, 2005), tracing the history and location of over 80 water mills on the island, of which 22 alone can be found in Milopotamos. Water mills date back to early times and in the preindustrial era were a popular way of grinding and milling grains. The force of the running water propelled the water wheel which transferred the water’s power to a drive-shaft which turned the large mill stones. According to Cassimatis, the first water wheels appeared in Kythera in the late eighteenth century. It is thought they were introduced from Crete where mil!s were built during the Ottoman and Venetian occupations. Traditionally, the mills, which were either single or two storey buildings, were built in the prevailing architectural style of the village. The author has studied all of the mills on Kythera and presents a summary of the location and type of each mill on the island. His account of the mills in Milopotamos is particularly interesting as the second mill, known as the “Egglezianika” (or English mill) was last operated by my late grandfather, Theodoros Poteris, until 1944. According to Kytherian folklore, the famous resistance fighter, Theodoros Kolokotronis, often hid in this mill whilst he was on the island. Cassimatis explains that the mills, apart from their commercial purpose, also served to promote social discourse among the islanders. The local kotsobolio was often generated by locals and people from other parts of the island coming together at the mills. Apart from Milopotamos, the author notes that there are 10 mills in Karavas. The fourth mill is in fact located near the house belonging to the “Tzortzopoulianikon” (the Poulos clan), near the Keramariou well. In the verdant town of Mitata, there are 9 mills including the “Karapati” mill operated by Ioannis Prineas until the end of the nineteenth century. Sadly the last water mill on Kythera ceased to operate in the late 1940's as the advent of power on the island meant that the mills were no longer economical to operate. The water mills of Kythera now stand silent and unfortunately are in varying stages of decay. They are a stark reminder of a bygone era and it is hoped that at least one of these mills can be restored in the future to ensure that their legacy in the island’s rich tapestry of culture and history is preserved. George Vardas
submitted by James Victor Prineas on 30.03.2008
The BBC article regarding the Earthquake.
submitted by Daniel Tripp on 07.02.2008
The four of us kids, myself 8/9 (Viking), Benjamin 7 (Gangster), Raphael 5 (Devil), Rebecca 3 (Gipsy) - wearing our masks in preparation for carnival. Later that night, I was awoken by crowds of people wearing scary costumes running thru the house - I was terrified, but quickly got over it...
This is page one of the article my dad wrote for the Newcastle Morning Herald. His title for the article was "Kythera, the island that went south" - but the editor changed it to something less imaginative, and almost derogatory... Notice the numerous errors the editor introduced. My dad was meticulous speller... We lived there for 9 months - Winter thru Spring in Potamos, Summer in Pelagia and late Summer Autumn in Katsoulanika.
Here's page 2 of that article. The child in the photo is me, aged 8.
submitted by Nikie Andronico Saffas on 25.04.2016
by Hellenic NATIONAL DEFENSE GENERAL Staff at the Greek Embassy ON NOVEMBER 19, 2007 (Photo 3 of 3) Pictured above: Op Group Vets + Greek Military with Rank Front Row L -R Robert L. Miller; Peter C. Photis; Lt. General Konstantinos Korkas, Hon Commander, Hellenic Army Col Ilias Leontaris, Defense Attache, Greek Embassy, Wash D.C. Nicholas G Pappas; Spiro G. Cappony; Back Row L - R: Gregory M. Pahules; Brigadier General Ilias Alevetsovitis, HNDGS [Hellenic National Defense General Staff] Charles P. Antinopoulos; Theodore W. Russell; Andrew S. Mousalimas. The Hellenic National Defense General Staff will honor the Greek-American veterans of United States commando units, who served behind enemy lines and fought alongside Hellenic Armed Forces in occupied Greece during World War II, in a special ceremony at the Greek Embassy on November 19 on the occasion of the Greek Armed Forces Day. Click the link to read the entire article in the Hellenic News of America Impressions of the event by Andrew G.Saffas: The trip to Washington D.C. was exciting and gratifying; travel, hotel and food accommodations were superb, as was the congenial hospitality of our hosts, H.E. the Ambassador of Greece and Mrs. Alexandros Mallias, and the Defense Attache Colonel and Mrs. Ilias Leontaris of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff. Veterans, family members and other honorees, about 80 in all, attended the Sunday night Dinner at the Capitol Hilton Hotel. Defense Attache, Colonel Leontaris, introduced a few speakers. General Konstantinos Korkas and Andrew S. Mousalimas spoke eloquently on behalf of all the veterans; I spoke last, emphasizing the fact that the bronze soldier in Athens speaks, not only for me, but more importantly, for all the men whose names are inscribed on the face of the monument, attesting to the significant contribution they made to the liberation of Greece and to the Allied Victory in Europe during WW II. After the dinner I met the surviving veterans present, and we bonded immediately. While they were in a huddle exchanging war stories I broke in on their conversation, exclaiming "PSEMATA! LIES! " I told them my “Intelligence” said all they did was sit on a mountain-side all day long, drink ouzo, play backgammon, feast on souvlakia, and at night, were off to the bouzoukia; they howled with laughter. One of them asked me where I got my "Intelligence.” I responded, “The same place Bush gets his”...more laughter; they are great bunch of guys. Monday we had lunch at a local Greek restaurant, where most everyone had the wonderful "Japanese" dish, mou-SA-ka~! Monday evening, by invitation from H.E. Ambassador Alexandros Mallias, we all went to the Greek Embassy (very beautifully designed with marble and wood, and many urns of flowers) for the Banquet and Awards Ceremony. There was a high military presence there, not only from the Greek Military but from the USA, Canada and other foreign countries. Estimated attendance was over 450 persons, who formed a sea of humanity circulating between three rooms. The typical Greek food was delicious and abundant. I shot pictures continuously, to capture as much of the ceremonies and people as possible, until those of us being honored were called upon to take our place on the rotunda. Colonel Ilias Leontaris, Brigadier General Ilias Alevitsovitis and H.E. Greek Ambassador Alexandros Mallias presented each Greek-US Operational Group Veteran and each of the other honorees, including me, a wood and brass plaque of the National Defense General Staff bearing the inscription “Peak of Excellence”. In addition, the 29th U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense, Gordon England, handed each of us a medallion from the U.S.A. Secretary of Defense. It was truly gratifying to see the veterans of the Greek-US Operational Group receive well-deserved awards, and recognition, which was long overdue. Andrew G. Saffas, Sculptor Friday, November 23, 2007
by Hellenic NATIONAL DEFENSE GENERAL Staff at the Greek Embassy ON NOVEMBER 19, 2007 (Photo 2 of 3) The Hellenic National Defense General Staff will honor the Greek-American veterans of United States commando units, who served behind enemy lines and fought alongside Hellenic Armed Forces in occupied Greece during World War II, in a special ceremony at the Greek Embassy on November 19 on the occasion of the Greek Armed Forces Day. Click the link to read the entire article in the Hellenic News of America Impressions of the event by Andrew G.Saffas: The trip to Washington D.C. was exciting and gratifying; travel, hotel and food accommodations were superb, as was the congenial hospitality of our hosts, H.E. the Ambassador of Greece and Mrs. Alexandros Mallias, and the Defense Attache Colonel and Mrs. Ilias Leontaris of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff. Veterans, family members and other honorees, about 80 in all, attended the Sunday night Dinner at the Capitol Hilton Hotel. Defense Attache, Colonel Leontaris, introduced a few speakers. General Konstantinos Korkas and Andrew S. Mousalimas spoke eloquently on behalf of all the veterans; I spoke last, emphasizing the fact that the bronze soldier in Athens speaks, not only for me, but more importantly, for all the men whose names are inscribed on the face of the monument, attesting to the significant contribution they made to the liberation of Greece and to the Allied Victory in Europe during WW II. After the dinner I met the surviving veterans present, and we bonded immediately. While they were in a huddle exchanging war stories I broke in on their conversation, exclaiming "PSEMATA! LIES! " I told them my “Intelligence” said all they did was sit on a mountain-side all day long, drink ouzo, play backgammon, feast on souvlakia, and at night, were off to the bouzoukia; they howled with laughter. One of them asked me where I got my "Intelligence.” I responded, “The same place Bush gets his”...more laughter; they are great bunch of guys. Monday we had lunch at a local Greek restaurant, where most everyone had the wonderful "Japanese" dish, mou-SA-ka~! Monday evening, by invitation from H.E. Ambassador Alexandros Mallias, we all went to the Greek Embassy (very beautifully designed with marble and wood, and many urns of flowers) for the Banquet and Awards Ceremony. There was a high military presence there, not only from the Greek Military but from the USA, Canada and other foreign countries. Estimated attendance was over 450 persons, who formed a sea of humanity circulating between three rooms. The typical Greek food was delicious and abundant. I shot pictures continuously, to capture as much of the ceremonies and people as possible, until those of us being honored were called upon to take our place on the rotunda. Colonel Ilias Leontaris, Brigadier General Ilias Alevitsovitis and H.E. Greek Ambassador Alexandros Mallias presented each Greek-US Operational Group Veteran and each of the other honorees, including me, a wood and brass plaque of the National Defense General Staff bearing the inscription “Peak of Excellence”. In addition, the 29th U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense, Gordon England, handed each of us a medallion from the U.S.A. Secretary of Defense. It was truly gratifying to see the veterans of the Greek-US Operational Group receive well-deserved awards, and recognition, which was long overdue. Andrew G. Saffas, Sculptor Friday, November 23, 2007
by Hellenic NATIONAL DEFENSE GENERAL Staff at the Greek Embassy ON NOVEMBER 19, 2007 (Photo 1 of 3) Pictured above: Andrew G. Saffas, Sculptor Lt. General Konstantinos Korkas, Honorary Commander, Hellenic Army Colonel Ilias Leontaris, Hellenic Defense Attache The Hellenic National Defense General Staff will honor the Greek-American veterans of United States commando units, who served behind enemy lines and fought alongside Hellenic Armed Forces in occupied Greece during World War II, in a special ceremony at the Greek Embassy on November 19 on the occasion of the Greek Armed Forces Day. Click the link to read the entire article in the Hellenic News of America Impressions of the event by Andrew G.Saffas: The trip to Washington D.C. was exciting and gratifying; travel, hotel and food accommodations were superb, as was the congenial hospitality of our hosts, H.E. the Ambassador of Greece and Mrs. Alexandros Mallias, and the Defense Attache Colonel and Mrs. Ilias Leontaris of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff. Veterans, family members and other honorees, about 80 in all, attended the Sunday night Dinner at the Capitol Hilton Hotel. Defense Attache, Colonel Leontaris, introduced a few speakers. General Konstantinos Korkas and Andrew S. Mousalimas spoke eloquently on behalf of all the veterans; I spoke last, emphasizing the fact that the bronze soldier in Athens speaks, not only for me, but more importantly, for all the men whose names are inscribed on the face of the monument, attesting to the significant contribution they made to the liberation of Greece and to the Allied Victory in Europe during WW II. After the dinner I met the surviving veterans present, and we bonded immediately. While they were in a huddle exchanging war stories I broke in on their conversation, exclaiming "PSEMATA! LIES! " I told them my “Intelligence” said all they did was sit on a mountain-side all day long, drink ouzo, play backgammon, feast on souvlakia, and at night, were off to the bouzoukia; they howled with laughter. One of them asked me where I got my "Intelligence.” I responded, “The same place Bush gets his”...more laughter; they are great bunch of guys. Monday we had lunch at a local Greek restaurant, where most everyone had the wonderful "Japanese" dish, mou-SA-ka~! Monday evening, by invitation from H.E. Ambassador Alexandros Mallias, we all went to the Greek Embassy (very beautifully designed with marble and wood, and many urns of flowers) for the Banquet and Awards Ceremony. There was a high military presence there, not only from the Greek Military but from the USA, Canada and other foreign countries. Estimated attendance was over 450 persons, who formed a sea of humanity circulating between three rooms. The typical Greek food was delicious and abundant. I shot pictures continuously, to capture as much of the ceremonies and people as possible, until those of us being honored were called upon to take our place on the rotunda. Colonel Ilias Leontaris, Brigadier General Ilias Alevitsovitis and H.E. Greek Ambassador Alexandros Mallias presented each Greek-US Operational Group Veteran and each of the other honorees, including me, a wood and brass plaque of the National Defense General Staff bearing the inscription “Peak of Excellence”. In addition, the 29th U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense, Gordon England, handed each of us a medallion from the U.S.A. Secretary of Defense. It was truly gratifying to see the veterans of the Greek-US Operational Group receive well-deserved awards, and recognition, which was long overdue. Andrew G. Saffas, Sculptor Friday, November 23, 2007
submitted by Spyro Calocerinos on 25.04.2016
This article was written in the "TORCH" newspaper on the 19th September 2007. It is pleasing to see that two girls of Greek origin received awards by Mr. Della Bosca on behalf of the NSW Government. I am very proud, that Seva Omeros, is our grand-daughter and congratulate her for her hard work and achievements. In the photo above, she receives her award from Mr. Della Bosca and in the next photo, with her sister Popandi who last year was "DUX" at the same school. "Quote" Recognition for High Achievers Two local students, were among 38 Year 12 students throughout NSW, who recently received the 2007 MINISTER'S AWARD for EXCELENCE in STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT. Amy Giannakakos of Beverly Hills Girls High School and Seva Omeros of East Hills Girls High School, won the prestigious awards, which recognise EXCELENCE in public school students. "These students have been recognised for their outstanding academic,sporting and cultural achievements, as well as their leadership and contribution to the school community," said Mr. Della Bosca According to her nomination information, Miss Giannakakos is a student with a definite vision, leading by example and encouraging others to realise their full potential and has been a leader within the Beverly Hills Girls High School community. Miss Omeros' nomination, described her as a quiet achiever with an impressive and outstanding academic record, who contributed widely to both East Hills Girls High School and the wider community. Mr. Della Bosca said, the Schools had been an integral part in the success of the students, providing a supportive and enriching learning environment that helped them to learn and achieve. "I'm confident, that these students will go on to achieve in the future and represent NSW Schools as providers of quality education," he said. "Unquote"
submitted by James Victor Prineas on 30.05.2007
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submitted by Valerios Calocerinos on 30.05.2007
This photo was taken july 06. This cat is a stray and he and his family slowly grew more comfortable around us. I couldnt refuse this shot. It was taken from our property just out of Chora.
submitted by John Carras on 21.04.2007
This greatest of Kytherian-Brisbane events which was held on Sunday the 15th April, 2007, from 11:30 - 5:00pm. The venue was the Cyprus Club, also known as the West End Club, 2 Vulture Street, West End 4101 (07) 3844 7965 Fax(07) 3844 7757 westendc@bigpond.net.au The event was held for 3 reasons: 1. to mark the official Queensland launch of www.kythera-family.net 2. to mark the official Queensland launch of Katsehamos and the Great Idea 3. to forge a new and inviolable union between the Kytherian Association of Queensland Inc, and the Kytherian Association of Australia, (ostensibly the Kytherian Association of NSW). The occasion became known as the Brisbane panayiri and mega-event. Ultimately, demand for seats was so high, that the event had to be moved from Kapsali Restaurant to the Cyprus Club. Attendance was c. 500
submitted by Terry Chlentzos on 25.04.2016
The National Citzens Bank Bldg in Mankato, Minnesota, USA.
Postcard from 6 March, 1920 to Mr. Theo Khlentzos of Carthage, Missouri, USA. The card is from his koumbaro D. Gouletis, and says there is a lot of snow and that he has greetings from Mr. Batsanakis and his wife. Theo Khlentzos was born in 1877 in Kythera, and died in 1923 in Missouri, where he worked as a candymaker. He is one of three sons of Michael Khlentzos and Zafiroula Vasenios. Theo and his two brothers all emigrated to the United States. James Mitchell Khlentzos was also a candymaker, and settled in Wichita, Kansas. Andrew Khlentzos (another candymaker) and his family lived in Carthage, Missouri for a few years before emigrating to Australia, where their descendants still live today. These three brothers are my third cousins twice removed. This postcard was located on E-Bay.
submitted by Peter Makarthis on 24.03.2007
Kytherian and Greek passengers during 1931-32 observed the final phase of the building of this iconic landmark as they disembarked at Circular Quay or Darling Harbour in Sydney NSW. 1931-32 listed arrivals and ships:- 1931 Mr G.C.Callakoudis (Oranto)27 Oct 1931 Mrs C Calocherinos (Oranto)31 Mar 1931 Mr J. Calocherinos (Oranto) 31 May 1931 Mr L. Conomos (Orama) 23 June 1931 Mr P. Critharis (Orama)23 June 1931 Mr C. Koutaris(Orsova)26 May 1931 Mr N. Feros (Ormande) 28 April 1931 Mrs T. Feros (Ormande) 28 April 1931 Mr N Kallinikas (Ormande) 6 Jan 1931 Mrs C Mavromatis (Orontes)3 Feb 1931 Mstr C Mavromatis (Orontes) 3 Feb 1931 Mr P. Megaloconomos (Orama)23 June 1931 Mr A. Moulos (Orontes) 13 Oct 1931 Mr J. Nicoletos (Oranto) 31 Mar 1931 Mrs S. Phacheas (Orama) 23 June 1931 Antoine Perivolaris (Remo) 1 dec 1931 George Politis (Esquilino)20 Jan 1931 John Sgourmallis(Vinimale)21 June 1931 Miss E. Sotiropulos (Oranto) 31 Mar 1931 Mstr J Sotiropulos (Oranto) 31 Mar 1931 Mrs P Sotiropulos (Oranto) 31 Mar 1931 Mrs P.A. Theodoropoulos(Orontes)3 Feb 1931 Mr S.A. Theodoropoulos (Orontes)3 Feb 1931 Nicolas Tzannes (Esquilino)3 Oct 1931 Mr P. Varvaressos (Orama) 24 Nov 1931 1932 Mrs Barbouttis (Strathaird)9 Dec 1932 Mr K. Barbouttis (Strathaird) 9 Dec 1932 Mr S. Baveas (Oronsay)23 Aug 1932 Mr Socrates Behlovanas(Orontes)2 Feb 1932 Paraschevi Camburi (Remo) 6 Dec 1932 Mrs C.Cochineas (Orford) 1 Nov 1932 Mr E.Cochineas (Orford) 1 Nov 1932 Miss Adrianna Koroneos (Orford) 1 Nov 1932 Arch Bishop Timothee Evangelidis (Orama) 26 Jul 1932 Mstr Alexandros Friligos (Orford)1 Nov 1932 Vassilios Georgicopoulos (Ormonde)20 Sep 1932 Mr M. Georgopoulos (Oronsay)5 Jan 1932 Mr H. Kouvelis (Ormonde)20 Sep 1932 J.Peter Mavris (Romolo) 26 April 1932 Mr A.Notaras (Orford)1 Nov 1932 Mrs I.Notaras (Orford) 1 Nov 1932 Mr.C.Pappas (Ormonde) 5 April 1932 Mr P Perivolaris (Otranto)31 May 1932 Miss E. Petalis (Strathnaver) 16 Feb 1932 Mr Dimitri Yiannoutsos (Orford)8 Mar 1932 Mrs M. Yiannoutsos (Orford) 8 Mar 1932 Researched by Peter Makarthis, Inverell March 2007
submitted by Odyssey Magazine on 20.05.2010
Koumbari 1 at Vasilissis Sofias Athens 106 74 The Benaki Legacy Odyssey Magazine. January/February 2006. pp. 48-50 Antonis Benakis bequeathed more than his impressive art collection to Greece: he established an institution that symbolizes the idealism, romance, and generosity of the diaspora Greeks. By Athena Vorillas His pockets were rich: filled with treasures like rocks, sponges, maybe a chewed piece of gum, and always that crystal triangle piece from the church chandelier that would shine brilliantly when held up to the sun, wrote the Greek novelist Penelope Delta of her brother, Antonis Benakis. A practical joker who rarely escaped scoldings or having his ears pulled, Benakis showed early on that he was a curious person, full of energy and life; someone who liked to get into everything. He had charisma, a big heart, and an omnipresent up-to-something stare. This gentleman and benefactor of early-twentieth-century Greece, founder of its first private museum, The Benaki Museum, and league of boy scouts; this art collector, philanthropist, yachtsman, army volunteer, son, father, husband, Greek of the diaspora who elicited feelings of “hero worship” from his siblings, indeed had rich pockets. And he found many ways of sharing their contents. Antonis Benakis & his sister Penelope in Alexandria in 1891 His generosity was inherited from his family and cultivated by his upbringing. Working and living in Athens, Greece, and Alexandria, Egypt, the Benaki family started a profound legacy of cultural, poutcal, and social ethos that continues to blossom in Greece today. Born 1873 into a wealthy and prominent Greek family, Benakis and his siblings carried on the tradition of giving, instilled in them, no doubt, by their parents, Emmanuel and Virginia. With roots in the southern Peloponnese region of Messinia, Emmanuel was horn on the island of Syros and studied in England. His sharp mind and entrepreneurial skills led him to the cotton trade of Alexandria in 1865 and his heart to a wealthy young bride, Virginia Choremi. They had six children, hut became spiritual parents to thousands of others by way of their many charitable gifts to The Benaki Orphanage in Alexandria, the American College of Greece in Athens, the Greek Red Cross and numerous philanthropic organizations. A distingtiished citizen of the Greek and greater Egyptian communities, Emmanuel held positions as advisor and member of the National Bank of Egypt and the National insurance Companies of Egypt; he was also president of the Greek community of Alexandria. Later, his close friendship with Eleftherios Venizelos, the pre-eminent statesman of modern Greece, led Emmanuel to relocate his family to Greece where he assumed several positions in the Venizelos cabinet and served as Mayor of Athens from 1914 to 1915. The Benaki mansion in 1911. When it was still the Benaki family residence This was the social environment in which Trelantonis, or ‘crazy Antonis” as his sister Penelope Delta dubbed him in a best-selling children’s book inspired by his antics, grew up and developed his own philanthropic activities as well as a passion for collecting art. Being raised in an affluent and noble milieu gave Benakis an advantage as a collector and as a benefactor. His travels in the late-1800s and early 1900s read like the itinerary of a modern-day jet-setter: he studied in Egypt, Athens, and London; spent his summers shuttling between Alexandria, Piraeus, and the Aegean island of Chios; pursued business ventures in Liverpool, Africa, and the Middle East. As a young man, he enlisted as a volunteer in the Greek-Turkish conflicts of 1897 and 1912-1913. Along the way, his pockets of treasures evolved from rocks, sponges, and chewed gum to works of Islamic and Coptic art; Byzantine, post-Byzantine and Greek folk art and handicrafts; coarse-flaked Paleolithic stone tools from central Greece; embroidered icons from eighteenth-century Ankara; and weapons, uniforms, and paintings from the Greek independence revolt of 1821. Realizing the potential of his son’s art collection and its impact on the modern Greek art world, Emmanuel — with the consent of all the Benaki children — donated the family’s stately neoclassical mansion at the corner of Vassilissis Sofias and Koumbari to the Greek state to house the growing art collection. In 1927, Benakis, then in his mid-fifties and a successful businessman left Alexandria to make Athens his permanent home and the museum his primary priority. Three years later, the Benaki Musettm opened at the former Benaki home, present location of the main museum in which the core collection is exhibited. “After four hundred years of slavery and years of bloody war, Greece, a newly-independent country in 1830, needed these types of people,” writes the museum’s curator Angelos Delivorrias in a biography of Antonis Benakis. “He was not just your common everyday benefactor that helped Greece get on its feet, hut the last of those few that did not keep anything for themselves.” Before founding a private museum to house his massive collection, Benakis donated works to the National Art Gallery in Athens, the Byzantine and Christian Museum, the National Archaeological Museum, and the Museum of Thessaloniki as well as the British Museum in London and the Museum of Arabic Art in Cairo. But establishing his own museum allowed him to he more directly involved with the works he had collected. During World War II and the Nazi occupation of Athens, the then-sixty-six-year-old Benakis even pulled up his sleeves and spent several days packing the museum’s collectibles for safe hiding. Antonis Benakis observing a case which contains ancient greek jewelry,1940-1950. Benaki Museum Historical Archives When Benakis died in 1954, the museum’s holdings numbered 26,666 objects, 10,410 books and manuscripts, and 146 archival units of historical documents, according to the museum’s official guide written by Delivorrias. Benakis was an avid collector of Chinese and Islamic art, and as a collector of Greek art, Benakis’s primary interest was in the Byzantine and post-Byzantine era. Antiquities comprise the smallest section of the museums exhibits, however, the pottery, figurines, jewelry, and tools are representative of their respective periods, allowing the museum to present a timeline of Greek history spanning the prehistoric era to the nineteenth century, with eclectic glimpses into the twentieth. “In my experience, the Greeks of the diaspora who have become major art collectors have certainly responded to their cultural heritage in the works they have sought for their collections. However, I have also found them often very open to other artistic traditions, especially ones that remind them in some way of their own past,” says Dr. Helen Evans, Curator for Byzantine Art, The Department of Medieval Art and The Cloisters, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 2nd century BC, gold wreath. Benaki Museum “Emmanuel and Antonis Benakis encouraged wider interest in all aspects of Byzantine and post-Byzantine culture through their interest in their ctoltural heritage,” she adds. “Antonis Benakis, for example, was a member of the Greek scientific committee for the first International Exhibition on Byzantine Art, which was held in Paris in 1931.” The museum’s continued growth after Benakis’s death is tribute to his legacy as a collector. By 2000, when the museum reopened after a complete renovation and reorganization, its holdings of art objects alone had grown to 45,000 items —testament to Delivorrias’s steadfastness and inspiration, as well as his abilities as a fundraiser who managed to increase the number of donations and grants to the museum. “The expansion of the Benaki Museum reflects the courageous vision of the museum s hoard and its director Angelos Delivorrias and the quality of staff whom Professor Delivorrias brought together to create the newly expanded museum at the Benaki home,” says Evans. Benakis’s granddaughter Aimilia Yeroulanou, president of the museum’s Board of Trustees, agrees. “Mr. Delivorrias has become part of the family,” she says. “He has been the major force and inspiration behind the growth of the museum today.” The “museum” today has metamorphosed into an institution that includes a Museum of Islamic Art (one of the few in Europe), the Cultural Center and modern art museum on Odos Pireos, and several annexes housing photographic and historical archives. A gallery dedicated to the works of Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghikas is being created in the renowned Greek artist’s former archer, currently under renovation, while the plans for future expansion include establishing a Museum of Toys, Games, and Childhood. “They have shown what a great impact a collection with vision and taste can have for the benefit of the general public,” says Carlos Picon, Curator in Charge, Greek and Roman Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The apparent growth and evolution of the flagship Benaki Museum and its many contemporary satellite museums comes at a time when post-Olympics Athens is enjoying a renaissance of sorts as a major player in the modern “Meccas” of European metropohises. And the Benaki family, in collaboration with Delivorrias, continues to play an instrumental role in the city’s dynamic evolution. “My grandfather would have been proud,” says Yeroulanou. “[But] Greek art is very, very strong to depend on just one person. Each person helps build by placing just one stone. Antonis Benakis did a great deed by establishing this museum. But the strength of Hellenistic art and Hehlenism is greater than any one person.” From the Benaki Museum website: http://www.benaki.gr/museum/history/founder/en/index.htm Its History Its Founder Antonis Benakis, scion of one of the leading families of the Greek diaspora, was born in Alexandria in 1873. He was witness to the vibrant tradition of national benefaction which, from the earliest years of Greek independence, was so clearly manifest amongst the Greek communities abroad. Benakis began his career as a collector in Alexandria, gradually reaching the decision to donate his collections to the Greek state, an idea which became reality after he settled permanently in Athens in 1926. The world in which Antonis Benakis moved was shaped in a period when the drive to extend the boundaries of the Greek state was as much an element of contemporary society as the parallel ideologies of urban development and enlightenment through education. Benakis' proverbial generosity towards other cultural institutions and undertakings was indicative of this. His personality was formed within a family environment which nourished such ideals, and which also fostered the exceptional literary talents of his sister, Penelope Delta (1874-1929), whose stories have been familiar to generations of Greek children. It is certain that Antonis Benakis, the founder of the Benaki Museum, was also influenced by the example of his father Emmanuel Benakis (1843-1929). A close friend and colleague of the great statesman Eleftherios Venizelos (1864-1936), Emmanuel Benakis placed his fortune at the disposal of numerous charitable foundations and likewise contributed to the settlement of refugees in the aftermath of the catastrophe in Asia Minor. Within this context, the nature of Antonis Benakis' benefaction becomes self-evident. Its most salient feature remains the fact that during his own lifetime Benakis donated the museum he created to the Greek state. Of equal importance was his continuous involvement, until his death in 1954, in enriching and improving the organisation of the museum's holdings, and his role in ensuring its financial security. Antonis Benakis in 1950, examining a gold kylix from Dendra in the Argolid. Cover page of the Odyssey Magazine article. 2006 Antonis Benakis in 1950, examining a gold kylix from Dendra in the Argolid. Sans wording from the article The Building The Main Building The Benaki Museum is housed in one of the few neoclassical buildings which has withstood the aesthetic changes of post-war Athens. It is located in a particularly attractive setting in the historic centre of the city, exactly opposite the greenery of the National Gardens and the grounds of the Presidential Palace, and near related institutions such as the Museum of Cycladic Art and the Byzantine Museum of Athens. The Benaki Museum occupies a composite architectural grouping which has undergone many changes throughout its history: The original building, 1910 The first extension in 1930 The El.Venizelos - D.Kyriazis expansion, 1965 The wing of El.Stathatos'donation, 1968-73 The new wing of the Benaki Museum 1867-1868 The original core of the architectural grouping is built, comprising a much simpler and differently laid out house than the present structure. 1910 The property is bought by Emmanuel Benakis upon the permanent establishment of his family in Athens. 1911 The building is extended through the addition of a ballroom and service quarters designed by the well-known architect Anastasios Metaxas, who was also responsible for the restoration of the Panathenaic Stadium. 1930 Another wing is added to the building by Anastasios Metaxas in order to meet the requirements resulting from its transformation into a museum. 1965 The exhibition space of the Museum is enlarged by the architect E. Vourekas in order to house the historic heirlooms of Eleftherios Venizelos on the ground floor and the Damianos Kyriazis Collection on the first floor. 1968 A new extension is made to the basement by the architect E. Vourekas in order to house the Eleni Stathatou donation. 1973 The Stamatios Dekozis-Vouros Foundation funds the addition of a new wing occupied by lecture rooms, spaces for temporary exhibitions and a cafe. 1989 Work begins on a major expansion of the Museum space through the construction of a five-storey wing with three basements located on the west side of its grounds, exceeding the height of the additions of 1968 and 1973, and planned by the architect A. S. Kalligas. 1997 The work on the new wing is completed, doubling the Museum's available space to 7000 m2 on five integrated interior floor levels and two basements. Benaki Museum expands Inside the Benaki Museum The Museum Today Over the past two decades, the Benaki Museum has experienced a significant increase in the number of its objects, staff, visitors and activities. This has led to a redefinition of its role as a museum, taking into account the demands of contemporary society and the need to ensure and faciliate the Museum’s future operation. In the light of past developments and current opinions, it was deemed necessary to divide the Museum’s collections and services into several different entities. This will be accomplished by moving the Museum’s Islamic collection to a group of buildings in the Kerameikos district of Athens which were donated by Lambros Eftaxias and which are presently undergoing restoration, by moving the Department of Historical Archives to the house of Penelope Delta in Kifissia which was donated by Alexandra Papadopoulou, by moving the Museum’s collection of children’s Toys ang Games to the neo-Gothic mansion, left to the Museum by Vera Kouloura, and by moving the Photographic Archive to the apartment donated by Penelope Vlangali and Mary Carolou. This reorganisation of the Museum’s structure has been influenced by contemporary trends towards decentralisation, which is realised in this case by the creation of a series of separate but interrelated annexes. The well-known neoclassical mansion of the Benaki Museum continues to be the focal point of this new structure. It has nevertheless undergone thorough modernisation and has been extended through the addition of a new wing. This building will provide a home for the Greek collections of the Museum, offering visitors a rare opportunity to form a complete and uninterrupted picture of the historical evolution of the Greek people. Benaki Museum. Exterior. 2007
The Benaki Legacy Odyssey Magazine. January/February 2006. pp. 48-50 Antonis Benakis bequeathed more than his impressive art collection to Greece: he established an institution that symbolizes the idealism, romance, and generosity of the diaspora Greeks. By Athena Vorillas His pockets were rich: filled with treasures like rocks, sponges, maybe a chewed piece of gum, and always that crystal triangle piece from the church chandelier that would shine brilliantly when held up to the sun, wrote the Greek novelist Penelope Delta of her brother, Antonis Benakis. A practical joker who rarely escaped scoldings or having his ears pulled, Benakis showed early on that he was a curious person, full of energy and life; someone who liked to get into everything. He had charisma, a big heart, and an omnipresent up-to-something stare. This gentleman and benefactor of early-twentieth-century Greece, founder of its first private museum, The Benaki Museum, and league of boy scouts; this art collector, philanthropist, yachtsman, army volunteer, son, father, husband, Greek of the diaspora who elicited feelings of “hero worship” from his siblings, indeed had rich pockets. And he found many ways of sharing their contents. Antonis Benakis & his sister Penelope in Alexandria in 1891 His generosity was inherited from his family and cultivated by his upbringing. Working and living in Athens, Greece, and Alexandria, Egypt, the Benaki family started a profound legacy of cultural, poutcal, and social ethos that continues to blossom in Greece today. Born 1873 into a wealthy and prominent Greek family, Benakis and his siblings carried on the tradition of giving, instilled in them, no doubt, by their parents, Emmanuel and Virginia. With roots in the southern Peloponnese region of Messinia, Emmanuel was horn on the island of Syros and studied in England. His sharp mind and entrepreneurial skills led him to the cotton trade of Alexandria in 1865 and his heart to a wealthy young bride, Virginia Choremi. They had six children, hut became spiritual parents to thousands of others by way of their many charitable gifts to The Benaki Orphanage in Alexandria, the American College of Greece in Athens, the Greek Red Cross and numerous philanthropic organizations. A distingtiished citizen of the Greek and greater Egyptian communities, Emmanuel held positions as advisor and member of the National Bank of Egypt and the National insurance Companies of Egypt; he was also president of the Greek community of Alexandria. Later, his close friendship with Eleftherios Venizelos, the pre-eminent statesman of modern Greece, led Emmanuel to relocate his family to Greece where he assumed several positions in the Venizelos cabinet and served as Mayor of Athens from 1914 to 1915. The Benaki mansion in 1911. When it was still the Benaki family residence This was the social environment in which Trelantonis, or ‘crazy Antonis” as his sister Penelope Delta dubbed him in a best-selling children’s book inspired by his antics, grew up and developed his own philanthropic activities as well as a passion for collecting art. Being raised in an affluent and noble milieu gave Benakis an advantage as a collector and as a benefactor. His travels in the late-1800s and early 1900s read like the itinerary of a modern-day jet-setter: he studied in Egypt, Athens, and London; spent his summers shuttling between Alexandria, Piraeus, and the Aegean island of Chios; pursued business ventures in Liverpool, Africa, and the Middle East. As a young man, he enlisted as a volunteer in the Greek-Turkish conflicts of 1897 and 1912-1913. Along the way, his pockets of treasures evolved from rocks, sponges, and chewed gum to works of Islamic and Coptic art; Byzantine, post-Byzantine and Greek folk art and handicrafts; coarse-flaked Paleolithic stone tools from central Greece; embroidered icons from eighteenth-century Ankara; and weapons, uniforms, and paintings from the Greek independence revolt of 1821. Realizing the potential of his son’s art collection and its impact on the modern Greek art world, Emmanuel — with the consent of all the Benaki children — donated the family’s stately neoclassical mansion at the corner of Vassilissis Sofias and Koumbari to the Greek state to house the growing art collection. In 1927, Benakis, then in his mid-fifties and a successful businessman left Alexandria to make Athens his permanent home and the museum his primary priority. Three years later, the Benaki Musettm opened at the former Benaki home, present location of the main museum in which the core collection is exhibited. “After four hundred years of slavery and years of bloody war, Greece, a newly-independent country in 1830, needed these types of people,” writes the museum’s curator Angelos Delivorrias in a biography of Antonis Benakis. “He was not just your common everyday benefactor that helped Greece get on its feet, hut the last of those few that did not keep anything for themselves.” Before founding a private museum to house his massive collection, Benakis donated works to the National Art Gallery in Athens, the Byzantine and Christian Museum, the National Archaeological Museum, and the Museum of Thessaloniki as well as the British Museum in London and the Museum of Arabic Art in Cairo. But establishing his own museum allowed him to he more directly involved with the works he had collected. During World War II and the Nazi occupation of Athens, the then-sixty-six-year-old Benakis even pulled up his sleeves and spent several days packing the museum’s collectibles for safe hiding. Antonis Benakis observing a case which contains ancient greek jewelry,1940-1950. Benaki Museum Historical Archives When Benakis died in 1954, the museum’s holdings numbered 26,666 objects, 10,410 books and manuscripts, and 146 archival units of historical documents, according to the museum’s official guide written by Delivorrias. Benakis was an avid collector of Chinese and Islamic art, and as a collector of Greek art, Benakis’s primary interest was in the Byzantine and post-Byzantine era. Antiquities comprise the smallest section of the museums exhibits, however, the pottery, figurines, jewelry, and tools are representative of their respective periods, allowing the museum to present a timeline of Greek history spanning the prehistoric era to the nineteenth century, with eclectic glimpses into the twentieth. “In my experience, the Greeks of the diaspora who have become major art collectors have certainly responded to their cultural heritage in the works they have sought for their collections. However, I have also found them often very open to other artistic traditions, especially ones that remind them in some way of their own past,” says Dr. Helen Evans, Curator for Byzantine Art, The Department of Medieval Art and The Cloisters, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 2nd century BC, gold wreath. Benaki Museum “Emmanuel and Antonis Benakis encouraged wider interest in all aspects of Byzantine and post-Byzantine culture through their interest in their ctoltural heritage,” she adds. “Antonis Benakis, for example, was a member of the Greek scientific committee for the first International Exhibition on Byzantine Art, which was held in Paris in 1931.” The museum’s continued growth after Benakis’s death is tribute to his legacy as a collector. By 2000, when the museum reopened after a complete renovation and reorganization, its holdings of art objects alone had grown to 45,000 items —testament to Delivorrias’s steadfastness and inspiration, as well as his abilities as a fundraiser who managed to increase the number of donations and grants to the museum. “The expansion of the Benaki Museum reflects the courageous vision of the museum s hoard and its director Angelos Delivorrias and the quality of staff whom Professor Delivorrias brought together to create the newly expanded museum at the Benaki home,” says Evans. Benakis’s granddaughter Aimilia Yeroulanou, president of the museum’s Board of Trustees, agrees. “Mr. Delivorrias has become part of the family,” she says. “He has been the major force and inspiration behind the growth of the museum today.” The “museum” today has metamorphosed into an institution that includes a Museum of Islamic Art (one of the few in Europe), the Cultural Center and modern art museum on Odos Pireos, and several annexes housing photographic and historical archives. A gallery dedicated to the works of Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghikas is being created in the renowned Greek artist’s former archer, currently under renovation, while the plans for future expansion include establishing a Museum of Toys, Games, and Childhood. “They have shown what a great impact a collection with vision and taste can have for the benefit of the general public,” says Carlos Picon, Curator in Charge, Greek and Roman Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The apparent growth and evolution of the flagship Benaki Museum and its many contemporary satellite museums comes at a time when post-Olympics Athens is enjoying a renaissance of sorts as a major player in the modern “Meccas” of European metropohises. And the Benaki family, in collaboration with Delivorrias, continues to play an instrumental role in the city’s dynamic evolution. “My grandfather would have been proud,” says Yeroulanou. “[But] Greek art is very, very strong to depend on just one person. Each person helps build by placing just one stone. Antonis Benakis did a great deed by establishing this museum. But the strength of Hellenistic art and Hehlenism is greater than any one person.” From the Benaki Museum website: http://www.benaki.gr/museum/history/founder/en/index.htm Its History Its Founder Antonis Benakis, scion of one of the leading families of the Greek diaspora, was born in Alexandria in 1873. He was witness to the vibrant tradition of national benefaction which, from the earliest years of Greek independence, was so clearly manifest amongst the Greek communities abroad. Benakis began his career as a collector in Alexandria, gradually reaching the decision to donate his collections to the Greek state, an idea which became reality after he settled permanently in Athens in 1926. The world in which Antonis Benakis moved was shaped in a period when the drive to extend the boundaries of the Greek state was as much an element of contemporary society as the parallel ideologies of urban development and enlightenment through education. Benakis' proverbial generosity towards other cultural institutions and undertakings was indicative of this. His personality was formed within a family environment which nourished such ideals, and which also fostered the exceptional literary talents of his sister, Penelope Delta (1874-1929), whose stories have been familiar to generations of Greek children. It is certain that Antonis Benakis, the founder of the Benaki Museum, was also influenced by the example of his father Emmanuel Benakis (1843-1929). A close friend and colleague of the great statesman Eleftherios Venizelos (1864-1936), Emmanuel Benakis placed his fortune at the disposal of numerous charitable foundations and likewise contributed to the settlement of refugees in the aftermath of the catastrophe in Asia Minor. Within this context, the nature of Antonis Benakis' benefaction becomes self-evident. Its most salient feature remains the fact that during his own lifetime Benakis donated the museum he created to the Greek state. Of equal importance was his continuous involvement, until his death in 1954, in enriching and improving the organisation of the museum's holdings, and his role in ensuring its financial security. Antonis Benakis in 1950, examining a gold kylix from Dendra in the Argolid. Cover page of the Odyssey Magazine article. 2006 Antonis Benakis in 1950, examining a gold kylix from Dendra in the Argolid. Sans wording from the article The Building The Main Building The Benaki Museum is housed in one of the few neoclassical buildings which has withstood the aesthetic changes of post-war Athens. It is located in a particularly attractive setting in the historic centre of the city, exactly opposite the greenery of the National Gardens and the grounds of the Presidential Palace, and near related institutions such as the Museum of Cycladic Art and the Byzantine Museum of Athens. The Benaki Museum occupies a composite architectural grouping which has undergone many changes throughout its history: The original building, 1910 The first extension in 1930 The El.Venizelos - D.Kyriazis expansion, 1965 The wing of El.Stathatos'donation, 1968-73 The new wing of the Benaki Museum 1867-1868 The original core of the architectural grouping is built, comprising a much simpler and differently laid out house than the present structure. 1910 The property is bought by Emmanuel Benakis upon the permanent establishment of his family in Athens. 1911 The building is extended through the addition of a ballroom and service quarters designed by the well-known architect Anastasios Metaxas, who was also responsible for the restoration of the Panathenaic Stadium. 1930 Another wing is added to the building by Anastasios Metaxas in order to meet the requirements resulting from its transformation into a museum. 1965 The exhibition space of the Museum is enlarged by the architect E. Vourekas in order to house the historic heirlooms of Eleftherios Venizelos on the ground floor and the Damianos Kyriazis Collection on the first floor. 1968 A new extension is made to the basement by the architect E. Vourekas in order to house the Eleni Stathatou donation. 1973 The Stamatios Dekozis-Vouros Foundation funds the addition of a new wing occupied by lecture rooms, spaces for temporary exhibitions and a cafe. 1989 Work begins on a major expansion of the Museum space through the construction of a five-storey wing with three basements located on the west side of its grounds, exceeding the height of the additions of 1968 and 1973, and planned by the architect A. S. Kalligas. 1997 The work on the new wing is completed, doubling the Museum's available space to 7000 m2 on five integrated interior floor levels and two basements. Benaki Museum expands Inside the Benaki Museum The Museum Today Over the past two decades, the Benaki Museum has experienced a significant increase in the number of its objects, staff, visitors and activities. This has led to a redefinition of its role as a museum, taking into account the demands of contemporary society and the need to ensure and faciliate the Museum’s future operation. In the light of past developments and current opinions, it was deemed necessary to divide the Museum’s collections and services into several different entities. This will be accomplished by moving the Museum’s Islamic collection to a group of buildings in the Kerameikos district of Athens which were donated by Lambros Eftaxias and which are presently undergoing restoration, by moving the Department of Historical Archives to the house of Penelope Delta in Kifissia which was donated by Alexandra Papadopoulou, by moving the Museum’s collection of children’s Toys ang Games to the neo-Gothic mansion, left to the Museum by Vera Kouloura, and by moving the Photographic Archive to the apartment donated by Penelope Vlangali and Mary Carolou. This reorganisation of the Museum’s structure has been influenced by contemporary trends towards decentralisation, which is realised in this case by the creation of a series of separate but interrelated annexes. The well-known neoclassical mansion of the Benaki Museum continues to be the focal point of this new structure. It has nevertheless undergone thorough modernisation and has been extended through the addition of a new wing. This building will provide a home for the Greek collections of the Museum, offering visitors a rare opportunity to form a complete and uninterrupted picture of the historical evolution of the Greek people. Benaki Museum. Exterior. 2007
submitted by John Stathatos on 17.10.2006
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