The Greek Consul in Geneva, Mr. Alexandros Gennimatas, organized a particularly important ceremony during which an iconic bust of Lord Byron was inaugurated in Geneva, at the famous Villa Diodati in the municipality of Cologny. The bust is offered on behalf of the Hellenic community in Geneva, as a symbol of gratitude to the great British Philhellene, Lord Byron. The ceremony took place on Wednesday, 15 May 2024.

This historic villa on the lake of Geneva, where Lord Byron lived in the summer of 1816 with his friends Mary and Percy Shelley, John Polidori and Claire Clermont, has been linked with the two famous horror stories of international literature, “Frankenstein” and “Vampire”. Byron’s cohabitation with the Shelleys during the “year without a summer” as 1816 went down in history due to a huge climate crisis caused by a volcano eruption in Asia, had a significant impact on the development of international literature and the subsequent development of Philhellenism internationally .

The extremely important and complex task of highlighting this unique landmark in Geneva, which honors Lord Byron and Philhellenism, “will be another point of reference in the long philhellenic tradition of Geneva”, as mentioned by Mr. Alexandros Gennimatas.

The construction and installation of the bronze bust of Lord Byron was sponsored by the Greek businessman Mr. Georgios Koukis, while the artwork was designed by the Greek sculptor and professor, Mr. Praxitelis Tzanoulinos. This project started in 2020, on the initiative of the Consul of Greece and the honorary president of the Greek Community of Geneva.

The Society for Hellenism and Philhellenism (SHP) and the Philhellenism Museum participated in the inauguration ceremony and the event that followed, with a speech by the President of the SHP and the Philhellenism Museum, Mr. Constantinos Velentzas. In the context of this event, Mr. Velentzas honored the important Swiss Professor of archeology and history, Mr. Pierre Ducrey, with the Lord Byron Medal on behalf of the SHP and the Academy of Athens.

This distinction recognizes Professor Ducrey’s contribution to highlighting the values of Hellenism, Greek history, and culture, as well as his contribution to strengthening the historical ties between Greece and Switzerland.

The ceremony was attended by HE Metropolitan Maximos of Switzerland, the mayor of Cologny Ms. Catherine Pahnke, the next mayor of Geneva Ms. Christina Kitsos, the deputy mayor of Cologny Mr. Pascal Hornung, the permanent representative of the United Kingdom to the UN in Geneva Ambassador Simon Manley, the honorary president of the Greek Community of Geneva, Mr. Michalis Papadopoulos, the family of Mr. Georgiou Koukis, and many representatives of Greek and philhellenic organizations.

 

 

Pierre Ducrey, a contemporary defender of Philhellenism

Pierre Ducrey embodies what he describes as “new philhellenism”, a modern form of the solidarity movement for Greece, born in Europe during the Greek War of Independence (1821-1827). Archaeologist, historian of ancient and modern Greece. He has taken part in excavations in Northern Greece in Philippi and in Crete, as a researcher of the French Archaeological School. He then directed the Swiss Archaeological School in Greece (ESAG) and the Swiss excavations of Eretria in Evia for 24 years. He served as professor of ancient history at the University of Lausanne from 1974 to 2005, and was rector of that university from 1987 to 1995. From 2005 to 2010 he was president of the Hardt Foundation for the Study of Classical Antiquity, located at Vandoeuvres in Geneva, then he directed the Foundation until 2022 under the presidency of the former president of the Swiss Confederation, Mr. Pascal Couchepin.

 

Society for Hellenism and Philhellenism (SHP)

The SHP awards the Lord Byron Medal every year in collaboration with the Academy of Athens, to private or public organizations, to academics and researchers who have contributed to the promotion of Hellenic  culture, to personalities or to organizations that support the mission of the SHP, and finally to descendants of Philhellenes who offered their support to Greece during the war of independence.

 

Information:
Philhellenism Museum, T. +302108094750, E. info@phmus.org
Links: https://phmus.org

 

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GUIDED TOUR – EXHIBITION
Sunday 26 May 2024, hours 11.00-13.00
Sunday 2 June 2024, hours 11.00-13.00

 

The Philhellenism Museum for one more year participates in the “This is Athens – City Festival”, and invites you to discover the Philhellenes of the historical center of Athens. A guided tour of the most emblematic monuments and architectural spots of the Plaka area.

Participants will wear headphones throughout these walks to better follow the tour, which will be performed in real-time.

In the context of the 200th anniversary of the death of Lord Byron and the designation of this year as “2024, Year of Lord Byron and Philhellenism”, the Hellenic Parliament collaborates with the Philhellenism Museum and present the exhibition “Beholding Liberty through Byron’s gaze”.

Exclusively for the participants of “This is Athens – City Festival 2024”, on 26th of May, a special guided tour of the exhibition at the Hellenic Parliament is offered before it opens to the public. The tour will be conducted by the curator of the exhibition and curator of the Collection of Works of Art of the Parliament, Dr. Thodoris Koutsogiannis.

Maximum number of participants: 50
To enter the exhibition at the Hellenic Parliament, it is necessary to show a police ID.
Free admission with necessary online reservation to the Philhellenism Museum, email: info@phmus.org

Duration: 120 minutes (11.00 – 13.00)
Meeting and starting point: Anglican Church of St. Paul (27 Philhellinon Street, Syntagma) at 11.00 a.m.

 

 

Information:
Philhellenism Museum
Address: 12 Zisimopoulou, 11524 Athens | T. : +30 2108094750 | Email: info@phmus.org

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The educational community participates actively in this celebrations of the SHP – Philhellenism Museum for the 200th anniversary since Lord Byron’s death.

Further to the initiative of the Second Arsakeion Lyceum of Psychiko, the Arsakeia Schools of Psychiko collaborated with the Philhellenism Museum to organize a special event – tribute to Lord Byron in the historic School Library with reference to the museum’s unique exhibits.

The event involved a live discussion between the distinguished Professor of Archaeology, Vassilis Lambrinoudakis, and the president of the Philhellenism Museum, Konstantinos Velentzas. The Director of the Second Arsakeio Lyceum, Linguist Nelli Pappa, took over the coordination of the debate, which had as its axis two different approaches aimed at the promotion internationally of Greek culture. The participating students had distinguished themselves in the preparatory stage that preceded the event.

The collaboration will continue with the use of the produced audio-visual material and with the implementation of new actions that the students will undertake to prepare this time by themselves.

 

 

Information:
Philhellenism Museum, T. 2108094750, E. info@phmus.org

 

Links:
www.phmus.org
www.eefshp.org
www.facebook.com/PhilhellenismMuseum

 

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The SHP (Society for Hellenism and Philhellenism) participated on April 19, 2024 in the historic ceremony organized by Trinity College of the University of Cambridge, in the Library, next to the iconic statue of Lord Byron.

A representative of the SHP addressed a greeting, laid a wreath and presented gifts to the university administration.

 

 

On April 20, 2024, the SHP participated in a ceremony organized by Nottingham City Council at Lord Byron’s historic home, Newstead Abbey, which is now a museum. A representative of the SHP delivered a greeting, exchanged gifts and then visited the tomb of Lord Byron at the Church of St Mary Magdalene, Hucknell.

 

 

Information:
Philhellenism Museum, T. 2108094750, E. info@phmus.org

 

Links:
www.phmus.org
www.eefshp.org
www.facebook.com/PhilhellenismMuseum

 

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The Ministry of Defense (MoD) organized on 24/4/2024 at the Evelpidon Military Academy, a ceremony for the leadership of the Hellenic Armed Forces to honour Philhellenism and the 200 years since the death of Lord Byron. An English poet whose name was associated with Messolonghi and the Struggle for Greek Independence. His role, like that of all the Philhellenes, was absolutely pivotal for the people and governments of Europe to support the Greek Revolution.

The event was attended by the Minister of National Defense, Mr. Nikos Dendias, the leaders of GEETHA, GES, GEN, GEA and Ms. Susan Geary on behalf of the British Embassy in Athens. The Minister addressed the cadets in the main auditorium of the Academy. A speech followed on the contribution of Lord Byron and the Philhellenes volunteers to the establishment of the Greek Regular Army, by the president of the SHP and Philhellenism Museum, Mr. Konstantinos Velentzas.

 

 

Information:
Philhellenism Museum, T. 2108094750, E. info@phmus.org

 

Links:
www.phmus.org
www.eefshp.org
www.facebook.com/PhilhellenismMuseum

 

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The SHP (Society for Hellenism and Philhellenism) organized on 29/4/2024 at the Philhellenism Museum, the first ceremony to award the Lord Byron Medal with honorees H.E. Ambassador of Hungary, Erik Haupt and H.E. Ambassador of the Republic of Poland, Artur Lompart.

The Lord Byron prize and medal are awarded by the SHP in collaboration with the Academy of Athens.

The medal was presented to H.E. Ambassador of Hungary, Erik Haupt by the president of the SHP, Konstantinos Velentzas and the internationally recognized scientist and Academician, Kostas Synolakis.

The second medal was presented to H.E. Ambassador of the Republic of Poland, Artur Lompart by Mr. Konstantinos Velenzas and the Director of the War Museum, Major General Christos Lazaridis.

The two Ambassadors contributed substantially to the promotion of Greece’s relations with Hungary and Poland, highlighted the role of the Polish and Hungarian volunteers who fought in Greece during the Greek War of Independence, and confirmed with their speeches their commitment to the universal values of Philhellenism.

The event comprised musical performances and recitation of poems by Lord Byron. A reception followed.

 

 

Information:
Philhellenism Museum, T. 2108094750, E. info@phmus.org

 

Links:
www.phmus.org
www.eefshp.org
www.facebook.com/PhilhellenismMuseum

 

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The event took place on 25/4/2024 at the emblematic Iliou Melathron building on Panepistimiou Street, in collaboration with the British Embassy, in the presence of the British Ambassador in Athens, Matthew Lodge.

The event was attended by Byron College – The International British School and the distinguished British musician Tim Healy, who visited Greece for two days and captivated the attendees to the musical background of the bagpipe.

Speeches were given by the Director of the Numismatic Museum, Anastasia Rammou, the President of the SHP – Philhellenism Museum, Konstantinos Velentzas, the British Ambassador to Greece, Matthew Lodge, the head of studies at Byron College, Rory Gallagher and the Mayor of Vyronas Municipality, Alexios Sotiropoulos.

A large number of friends responded to the invitation, including academicians, professors, diplomats, politicians, representatives of the Armed Forces and the government.

The event comprised readings of Lord Byron’s poems and musical performances accompanied by violin and cello. This special evening ended with a reception.

 

 

For information:
Philhellenism Museum, Τ. 2108094750, Ε. info@phmus.org

 

Links:
www.phmus.org
www.eefshp.org
www.facebook.com/PhilhellenismMuseum

 

Media sponsor: