Thessaloniki Honours Greece’s First Governor Ioannis Kapodistrias

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The city of Thessaloniki honoured Ioannis Kapodistrias, Greece’s first Governor, on the 195th anniversary of his assassination by unveiling a new bust in the centre of the city.

The ceremony took place at the junction of Egnatia and Chalkéon streets, in Dikastirion Square, where the bust now stands in the area provided by the Municipality of Thessaloniki.

The sculptor Georgios Kikotis created the bust, which the Corfiot Union of Thessaloniki “Agios Spyridon” donated to the municipality.

The work consists of a relief bust cast in bronze and mounted on a solid white marble base. It stands 2.20 metres high and was designed to complement the surrounding public space.

Thessaloniki honours Kapodistrias

Thessaloniki Mayor Stelios Angeloudis described Kapodistrias as “a personality of global stature and deep Greek consciousness”.

He said the unveiling adds a new landmark of historical memory to the city’s public space and represents responsibility, selflessness and, above all, service to the nation.

“Thessaloniki today pays tribute to an emblematic personality who left an indelible mark on the creation and formation of the modern Greek state,” Angeloudis said.

He noted that Kapodistrias undertook the difficult task of building institutions and establishing a functioning state after Greece emerged from its long struggle for independence.

However, Angeloudis said Kapodistrias could not complete his work because his assassination on 27 September 1831brought his efforts to a violent end and ushered in a new period of division and conflict.

The mayor also stressed the significance of placing the bust in the Corfu Park, describing it as a reminder of the struggles, achievements, triumphs and mistakes that helped shape modern Greek society and the country.

Archbishop warns against division

Thessaloniki Metropolitan Philotheos also used the ceremony to reflect on the divisions that marked Kapodistrias’ final years.

He said Kapodistrias died because of divisions that had existed in the newly established Greek state and warned that such divisions continue to affect Greek society.

The Metropolitan said people can invoke different arguments to justify remaining divided, often claiming to defend “the truth”.

The important question, he said, is whether the truth people defend represents objective truth or whether it becomes subject to individual perspectives.

He highlighted Kapodistrias’ efforts to build a healthy state and noted that he ultimately fell “not from foreigners, but from the hands of Greeks”.

Bust creates link between Corfu and Thessaloniki

Lefteris Kavadias, president of the Corfiot Union of Thessaloniki, said the ceremony honoured Kapodistrias as a global figure whose diplomatic stature, selflessness and political vision influenced modern Greece and Europe.

He described the bust as more than a sculpture, calling it a permanent living link between Thessaloniki and Corfu.

“From today, Kapodistrias will adorn Thessaloniki, reminding everyone of the ties that connect the Ionian Islands with Macedonia,” Kavadias said.

The organisers also placed sacred objects from Corfu inside the bust, at the level of the chest.

These include soil from Kapodistrias’ family home, holy water from the Platytera Monastery, where his grave stands, and icons of the Virgin Mary of Platytera and Saint Spyridon, the patron saint of Corfu.

Kavadias said the objects symbolically allow “the heart of this bust” to carry the spirit and blessing of Corfu into the heart of Thessaloniki.

The ceremony featured musical and dance performances by the Municipality of Thessaloniki Philharmonic Orchestra, the Ionian Choir and the Ionian Dance Academy.

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