The Fascinating Ancient History of Athens’ Monastiraki Square

Located in the heart of Athens, Monastiraki Square is a unique blend of styles, cultures and eras, ever-changing and vibrant. It is without question one of the most charming and lively areas in the Greek capital.

If you just stand at the center of Monastiraki Square and take a good look around you, you can form a more or less complete picture of Athens’ past and present, all within just a few square meters.

The stunning diversity of the architecture of its buildings alone epitomizes the turbulent history of Greece.

Layout of Monastiraki Square reflects the history of Athens

On one side of the square is the Orthodox Church of the Virgin Mary Pantanassa, and on the other is the Ottoman-era Mosque of Tzistarakis.

Built in the second century AD, the pillars of Hadrian’s Library can still be seen through the arches of the mosque, while – directly above them – the Acropolis dominates your view, forming a stunning backdrop for the scene.

A number of neoclassical buildings which surround the square, including the Metro Station, add yet another era to the list of those which are already exemplified in this small space.

Recently renovated, the Square itself is now paved with mosaic “flows” of marble, stone and wrought iron, symbolizing the diversity of the Mediterranean.

There is so much more to this charming place than one might think. Let’s take a dive into Monastiraki’s fascinating history, and what makes it so completely unique today.

The history of the iconic square

The iconic metro station of Monastiraki was built in 1895 when the above-ground metro was constructed. It was actually a train, not an actual underground subway, which is why Athenians still call it the “treno.”

The treno connects the Port of Piraeus to Athens and Kifissias, a neighborhood in the north of Athens.

Presently, the underground metro line which connects the airport to the city passes through Monastiraki as well, making it a major transportation hub today.

Just like everywhere else in Athens, the creation of the metro led to discoveries of ancient ruins and artifacts, some of which are showcased in the station itself.

When the construction work for the new metro station began in 2004, there were many difficulties in this part of the city, since it abuts the riverbed of the Eridanos, which was a sacred river to the ancient Athenians.

The Eridanos River flowed from its source on the slopes of Lykabettos Hill in Athens, which rises 300 meters (908 feet) above sea level. Its waters then flowed through the Agora of ancient Athens to the archaeological site of Kerameikos, an ancient cemetery, where its bed is still visible.

The Ancient Agora of Athens

In ancient Greek times, the Agora of Athens served as the commercial, social, and political hub of the entire city, where an open-air market would be also be held at certain intervals.

It was the best place for citizens to meet up and to debate about the future of the city and any of the many other issues of the day.

Various temples built to worship the Greek gods surrounded the Agora, which meant that this space also functioned as a vital religious center.

The Ancient Agora now

Although most of the buildings in the Agora are unfortunately not well preserved, some of the most prominent buildings, including the Stoa of Attalos, an ancient “department store” which currently houses the Ancient Agora Museum, have been beautifully reconstructed.

The Agora is also home to the Temple of Hephaestus, who was the god of craftsmen. This building, one of the best-preserved temples of ancient Greece, was constructed between 449 and 415 BC.

The ancient Agora is without a doubt one of the most important landmarks in the capital. Although most of the buildings in the area have been terribly damaged over the millennia, this site’s historic importance makes it a must-see for all visitors to Greece.

Kerameikos, Athens’ Ancient Cemetery

One of the most important — but least visited — archaeological sites in Athens is Kerameikos, the ancient cemetery of Athens, which was in continuous use from the ninth century BC until Roman times.

Before the area was made into a cemetery, a number of pottery workshops existed there, leading the area to be named Kerameikos, from “keramos,” which means “pottery” in Greek.

The neighborhood was split into two parts by the ancient walls of Athens, the so-called Themistoclean Walls.

The outer part, situated outside the city walls, was made into a cemetery, but the inner section continued to be an inhabited area.

Modern archaeological excavations of the area began in 1870; the German Archaeological Institute of Athens has been in charge of the excavations from 1913 until the present day.

Over the decades, archaeologists have unearthed temple columns, marble statues and funeral offerings as well as thousands of tombs and the remains of various public buildings.

One thousand additional tombs, dating from the 4th and 5th century BC, were found during the works for the construction of Kerameikos Metro Station.

Visitors can see all the fascinating archaeological discoveries at a small museum located next to the entrance of the site.

The Tzistarakis Mosque

Located just to the right of Monastiraki station, the Mosque of Tzistarakis Aga stands as a symbol of the days of Ottoman rule over the city of Athens.

Tzistarakis was the one-time Ottoman ruler of Athens who made the fateful decision to build a mosque in 1759 on the square of the Bazaar (market), as this square was previously known.

Legend has it that Tzistarakis ordered that an ancient column from the Temple of Zeus be destroyed and made into plaster to whitewash the walls of his mosque.

However, a terrible plague devastated the city the next year, and the city’s populace accused Tzistarakis of causing the sudden breakout of the disease.

According to ancient Greek folk tradition, all ancient artifacts are imbued with spirits, and they should never be disturbed — for any reason.

As they saw it, Tzistarakis’ decision to destroy the columns angered the spirits, who took revenge by sending a plague upon the city.

In the end, the Ottoman ruler was arrested by an order of the Sultan and he was sentenced to death by decapitation.

After the modern Greek state was established, the Mosque was turned into a storage room and an armory — and it was even used as a prison at one point.

Since its restoration in 1915, it has functioned as a museum for handicrafts, and since 1975 it has exhibited a collection of early 20th century pottery from Greece, Cyprus, and Ottoman and modern Turkey.

Hadrian’s Library

Hadrian’s Library, which is found right next to the Tzistarakis Mosque, is the most impressive ancient building to be found in all of Monastiraki.

Part of the ambitious construction program of the Roman Emperor Hadrian, the library was built in the second century AD.

When finished, it was one of the most lavishly-decorated buildings of ancient Athens and was the largest library in the city.

The back wall of the library was where the most precious books and scrolls were kept. The vast complex also included reading rooms and auditoriums, and featured a long reflecting pool in its center, creating a serene environment which was suitable for the building’s function.

Unfortunately, in 267 AD the invasion of an East Germanic tribe named the Herulians resulted in the destruction of the building, and the Athenians never succeeded in restoring the library to its former glory.

The Monastery of Pantanassa

A small church dedicated to the Virgin Mary Pantanassa also lies on the corner of Monastiraki Square.

Scholars debate on the exact date when the church was built, but the prevalent theory indicates that it was constructed in the 10th century.

The small Byzantine chapel devoted to the Virgin Mary “Pantanassa” (the Universal Queen) is all that remains of a convent which existed until the time of Greek Independence, where the actual open square now lies; hence the name Monastiraki (meaning “Little monastery”).

The small church, which functioned as a Roman Catholic chapel during the reign of the Germanic people called the Franks in the 13th and 14th centuries, was also the private property of a Venetian nobleman at one time.

The Byzantine church’s appearance was drastically changed by an extensive restoration program in the seventeenth century.

In the recent past, the church was restored as much as possible to its initial form and it still operates as one of the most ancient and historic churches in the city of Athens.

From huge libraries to ancient rivers, cursed mosques, and millennia-year-old churches, Monastiraki Square is undoubtedly a place of enormous historical importance and great beauty.

Choose a free guided tour, or just wander around by yourself and explore the fascinating history this amazing Athens neighborhood has to offer.

Biden Announces January 2022 Deadline for Corporate Vaccine Mandate

Joe Biden announced on Thursday that his new vaccine mandate for companies with over 100 workers will be place starting on January 4, 2022.

The mandate, which Biden first announced in September, will affect over 100 million workers in the United States.

Greece Accused of Limiting Press Freedom in Combating Fake News

Greece has been accused of limiting the freedom of the press freedom after the government earlier in the week brought before Parliament changes to the penal law that foresees heavy penalties for media that are deemed to spread fake news.

Greek Cuisine Program Kicks Off at the University of Nevada

Greek cuisine was recently introduced as a standalone program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) which announced the establishment of the National Hellenic Society Culinary Legacy Fund to promote Hellenic heritage, culture, and cuisine to culinary arts students.

The initiative for the program belongs to The National Hellenic Society (NHS), a non-profit organization dedicated to perpetuating, celebrating, and passing on Hellenic heritage.

The program will run as part of the Food and Beverage Program within the UNLV’s world-renowned William F. Harrah College of Hospitality.

​Stowe Shoemaker, dean of the College, and his team hosted a reception for NHS members and guests attending the annual NHS Heritage Weekend event in celebration of the launch of the Fund.

NHS Guests included Her Excellency, Ambassador Alexandra Papadopoulou, Greece’s Ambassador to the U.S., David Horner, President of the American College of Greece, Alexander Zagoreos, Chair of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Nancy Papaioannou, President of Atlantic Bank, George Marcus, John Calamos, and Drake Behrakis, NHS Co-Founders, and NHS members from all over the U.S.

Master Chef Diane Kochilas launches Greek cuisine classes

The Fund’s initial program is the NEWS Program (NHS Epicurean Workshop Series) with Master Chef Diane Kochilas, star of My Greek Table, to kick off the NEWS Program. Chef Kochilas was thrilled to have the opportunity to teach the College’s hospitality students about wellness and other benefits associated with the Greek Mediterranean diet in several classes held over two days at the College.

The NHS will help bring other chefs, culinarians, and experts that will impart their insights into the Greek Mediterranean diet, culture, traditions, and lifestyle to students.

NHS Chair, Drake Behrakis emphasized NHS focus on its effort to pass on this important aspect of our Hellenic heritage and culinary legacy with students enrolled in the nation’s leading academic centers of hospitality.

“The kouzina plays an important role in our lives, where family, friends, and colleagues gather to engage in dialogue, reflect, laugh, and enjoy a wonderful meal in the spirit of parea/kinship. We look forward to collaborating to promote wellness and all the benefits of the Greek Mediterranean diet and to share Hellenic philoxenia/hospitality with the College’s students in hopes they will bring that spirit to others as they advance in their career paths throughout the U.S. and beyond,” Behrakis said.

​“We are grateful to be working on such a unique project with such amazing partners,”  Dean Shoemaker noted..

“Collaborating with the NHS means we’re able to give students a rich understanding of Greek culture and cuisine—exposure that helps these young people not only grow as hospitality professionals but also citizens of the world.”

Greece Launches Project to Turn Halki Island “Green”

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Merck pharmaceuticals developed the first antiviral pill against the coronavirus, approved on Thursday in the UK.

How Athens Neighborhoods and Squares Got Their Names

There are several famous –but strangely named — neighborhoods and squares in Athens and even Athenians don’t know how they first got their monikers.

Plateia Amerikis, or America Square, is an iconic square in Athens. The busy square was named in 1927, as the municipal council wanted to show its appreciation for the philhellenism shown by the United States.

Until then, it was called Agamon Square, or the “square of the unwed.” It was named so in 1887 after three middle-aged Athenians who had a café in the square and were all, apparently quite famously, unmarried.

Until the end of the 19th century, Ambelokipi (which means vineyards in Greek) was an area that was indeed full of vineyards and orchards, which were irrigated by the water of the Adrianian aqueduct that sprouted from Agios Dimitrios from the beginning of the 16th century, when the main pipeline was destroyed.

Anafiotika, the neighborhood in Athens that looks like an island

Anafiotika is an Athenian neighborhood on the north slope of Acropolis Hill. Particularly picturesque, with tiny houses and narrow streets resembling those of a Greek island, it was created around 1860 by craftsmen and laborers who had come from the island of Anafi to work on the excavations of the Acropolis, but also to build the capital, which was a relatively new city then.

One of them, on the pretense of building a small church, gathered materials and with the help of a carpenter, he made a house in one night and settled in. In a few days (or nights …) the builder helped the carpenter to make his own home. Thus the name Anafiotika, or Little Anafi, from these two masters from that island.

Vathi, or “deep,” Square, took its name from the lower are of the city, where the waters of the Cycloborus stream ended. Once the area was drained for construction works, Vathi Square was created in 1926.

Gazohori, or Gas Village, was a settlement of shacks and shelters which was cobbled together to the north and west of the gas factory during the first decades of the reign of King George I.

Originally, the poorest families of Athens lived there, and it had a seedy underbelly. Today it is called Gazi and it is a vibrant area full of bars and restaurants; the old gas factory has turned to a complex where exhibitions, concerts and other events are staged.

Votanikos Square was named after the Botanical Gardens, which since 1836 has been where trees were planted under King Otto’s order for the establishment of greenery in the city. The same order stipulated that the Botanical Garden be used by the Physical-Historical Society, medical schools and the institutions of higher education in the city.

Yusurum Square, the flea market in Monastiraki, was so named by the Greek-Jewish entrepreneur Elias Yusurum, who opened the first antique shop in the area in the late 19th century.

In Monastiraki there is also a flea market, with the area is packed with tourists all year long due to its proximity to the Acropolis and other archaeological sites. Monastiraki, or “little monastery,” owes its name to the old monastery of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, the enclosure of which gave its name to Monastiraki Square.

Exarchia got its name around 1900, from the last name of Exarchos, a man from Epirus, who had a grocery store at the southwest corner of Themistokleous and Solomou Streets. The famous “blue apartment building” at Exarchia Square was built before World War II. Today Exarchia is known as a countercultural area full of artists and anarchist groups.

The neighborhood Thissio is named after an ancient temple, located at the top of Agoraiou Kolonos. Its ruins were discovered in 1931 during excavations by the American School of Classical Studies. In the past, this temple was converted into a Christian church and during Frankish rule it was a Catholic church.

Ilissia was named by the Duchess of Plakentia who built her mansion near the Ilissos River and gave it the name of the river. Today the mansion houses the Byzantine Museum.

“The Square of Crying”

Klafthmonos Square, or the square of crying, was named so after the writer Dimitrios Kambouroglou in the late 19th century who wrote about the spectacle of civil servants being seen openly crying.

The Ministry of Finance overlooked the Square at the time — and every time the government changed, the civil service employees were fired so that the new minister would hire his own people. The fired civil servants would then go to the square after getting their pink slips and were known to burst into tears.

Kolonaki, or “little pillar,” the downtown neighborhood of the rich and famous, took its name from a stone landmark that existed until 1938 near Dexamenis Square and was then set up in Kolonaki Square.

Plaka, a neighborhood located in Athens at the foot of the Acropolis hill, was mentioned for the first time in the anonymous note “About Attica” in the Paris Library, dating back to the 17th century. It mentions “various Albanian houses” in the area.

First, in 1833, J. Hann observed that Plaka comes from an Arvanite, or a language that was spoken by Albanians who moved to Greece in the Middle Ages, with the word plak meaning “old, aged”. As K. Biris writes, it is a “medieval name, which arose after the end of the 16th century, when there was a settlement of Arvanites outside the so-called Valerian Wall.”

The Story of the First Greek-American from Chicago Killed in World War II

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Words of Wisdom from Ancient Greek Philosophers Featured in App

The “Greek Philosopher” app gathers more than six hundred of the most profound words of wisdom from the major schools of ancient Greek thought — and delivers them straight to you on your mobile device.

Based on original sources, this work is a compilation of carefully-selected quotes of ancient Greek philosophy spanning from the sixth century BC to the first

Thinkers from the Greek schools of Stoicism, Cynicism and Epicureanism are among the thirty-six Greek philosophers featured in the app.

Ancient Greek philosophy

Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy founded by Zeno of Citium in Athens in the early third century BC, who was greatly inspired by the teachings of Socrates. Stoicism is a philosophy of ethics, with or without a belief in God.

According to its teachings, the path to Eudaimonia (i.e. happiness, fulfillment, flourishing) for humans is found in fully accepting the moment as it presents itself; by not allowing oneself to be controlled by the desire for pleasure or fear of pain, by using reason to understand the world, and by treating others fairly.

According to Cynicism, social values, material goods and luxuries kept man away from true happiness — which can only be found by living in the simplicity of nature.

Epicureanism refers to a way of life that encourages its adherents to seek modest, sustainable pleasure in the form of a state of ataraxia (tranquility and freedom from fear) through knowledge of the workings of the world, and limiting their desires.

 

 

Summer heatwaves this year break new records

The heatwave recorded this summer between July 28 and August 5 was a record-breaker in terms of duration and temperatures, according to a study by the National Meteorological Service.

The study divides the nine-day heatwave into two phases, the first from July 28-31 and the second from August 1-5. Very high temperatures were recorded during the first phase, but the maximums remained below the July records.

As the days went by the temperatures rose, with the result that in the first five days of August the maximum temperatures exceeded or approached the absolute maximum temperatures for August in several areas.

Record highs of August were recorded mainly in Serres (43.4C vs a previous 43.3C), Thessaloniki (40.5C vs 40.4C), Astros (45C vs 42.2C), Lamia (45.4C vs 43.8C), Elliniko (43C vs 41.8C), Elefsina (44.8C vs 43.5C), Argos (46.3C vs 43.2C), Kalamata (43.2C vs 41.4C) and Nea Philadelphia (45.3C vs 43.6C).