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The First Cemetery of Athens (Πρώτο Νεκροταφείο Αθηνών) is the official cemetery of Athens, Greece. It’s a prestigious burial ground for both Greeks and foreigners.
*This is a very long post. I don’t expect anyone to read it cover to cover. Please use the table of contents below to jump to what (or who) you’re looking for.
History of the First Cemetery of Athens
The First Cemetery of Athens was established by royal decree and opened in 1837. It encompasses the older cemetery of Saint Lazarus. Many distinguished Athenians are buried there and some have built luxurious tombs. These include important Greek politicians, historical figures, actors, musicians, and poets as well as a handful of prominent foreigners.
The cemetery was first expanded in 1856 and again in 1878. It’s still active today but there are fewer burials than in the past.
Sections
The vast First Cemetery of Athens covers a total area of 170 acres. It contains over 10,000 family tombs as well as over 2,000 temporary three-year graves. The great majority of burials are Greek Orthodox. There are separate sections for Protestants, Jews, and the military, but segregation is not required.
The Protestant section was established in 1914. It’s managed by the embassies of Great Britain, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Germany on a four-year rotation.
The Jewish section was officially established in 1864, although the oldest known burial dates back to 1844. It was expanded in 1884 and again in 1910, eventually overtaking the entire Turkish cemetery. Smaller expansions occurred in 1916 and 1920. It’s closed to the public and due to lack of space has not accepted new burial plots since 1956.
A Catholic section was never established, and most burials are situated around the Catholic Church of Saint Charles. It was built in 1928 at the expense of the Fix family. There are also two Orthodox churches in the cemetery.
Navigating the Cemetery
If you’re looking for a specific tomb, navigating the First Cemetery of Athens can be an overwhelming experience. Unfortunately, there’s no official map indicating famous burials and there’s no signage in the cemetery. Plus, it can be difficult for non Greek speakers as almost all of the inscriptions are written in Greek. Thankfully, I’ve put together an interactive map of important gravesites. It’s attached below and ‘ll add to it on future visits when I locate more prominent burials.
Most of the VIPs are located in the main plaza just inside the entrance. Others are within the original cemetery boundaries to the south or scattered in other areas. If a tomb has a Greek flag, wreath, or other temporary decorations, you’ve probably come across someone important. In any case, exploring the cemetery and seeing some incredible works of art is a quiet and peaceful experience in a beautiful green space.
Main Plaza
The main plaza of the First Cemetery of Athens is just inside the entrance. It contains many of the most prominent burials.
Church of Agioi Theodoroi
Starting on the left and working in a clockwise direction, first is the Church of Agioi Theodoroi. It was built between 1899 and 1901.
Archbishops of Athens
Next to the church are the tombs of a handful of Archbishops of Athens. Burials include Christodoulos (b. Christos Paraskevaidis, 1939, Xanthi – d. 2008, Athens), who was outspoken and sometimes controversial yet very popular; Seraphim (b. Vissarion Tikas, 1913, Karditsa – d. 1998, Athens); Chrysostomos II (b. Themistocles Hatzistavrou, Tralleis (now Aydın, Turkey), 1880 – d. 1968, Athens); Theoclitos II (b. Theoclitos Panagiotopoulos, Dimitsana, 1890 – d. Athens, 1962); and Dorotheos (b. Ioannis Kottaras, Hydra, 1888 – d. Stockholm, Sweden, 1957), among others.
Georgios Averof
Continuing along is the tomb of Georgios Averof (b. 1815, Metsovo, Greece – d. 1899, Alexandria, Egypt), also known as George Averoff. He was a businessman and philanthropist as well as one of the greatest benefactors of Greece. Averof moved to Cairo in 1837 at the age of 22 to work in a shop run by his brother, Anastasios. He quickly became one of the richest men in Egypt through real estate, banking, and riverboats.
Averof built schools throughout Egypt and Greece and also financed the restoration of the Panathenaic Stadium (Kallimarmaro) for the 1896 Olympic Games in Athens. On March 12, 1910, the Hellenic Navy named its flagship cruiser the Georgios Averof.
Heinrich Schliemann
The tomb of German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann (b. 1822, Neubokow, Germany – d. 1890, Naples, Italy) is one of the most spectacular monuments in the First Cemetery of Athens. It sits on the upper level behind Averof’s tomb. Schliemann, who believed the works of Homer reflected historical events, discovered the site that’s believed to be Troy in what’s now modern Turkey. He also excavated Mycenae and Tiryns in Greece.
Schliemann’s mausoleum was designed by German architect Ernst Ziller (1837-1923) to resemble an ancient Greek temple sitting on a tall base. The frieze depicts Schliemann conducting excavations. His wife Sophia (1852-1932) is buried with him.
Melina Mercouri and Jules Dassin
Back on the plaza is the Mercouri family tomb, where Melina Mercouri (b. 1920, Athens – d. 1994, New York, New York) is buried. She was an actress, singer, and politician who served as a member of Hellenic Parliament and the first female Minister of Culture and Sports. Her most notable films were Never on a Sunday (1960) and Topkapi (1964). Mercouri passionately lobbied for the return of antiquities taken from the Acropolis, including the Elgin Marbles from the British Museum in London, to Greece. She’s buried alongside her husband, American director Jules Dassin (b. 1911, Middletown, Connecticut – d. 2008, Athens).
Spyridon Mercouris
Also in the Mercouri family tomb is Melina’s grandfather Spyridon Mercouris (b. 1856, Ermioni – d. 1939, Athens). He was the mayor of Athens from 1899 to 1914. A staunch royalist, he was exiled to Corsica in 1917 during the National Schism and later sentenced to death in 1919. Mercouris was released from prison a year later and re-elected as mayor in 1929, serving for three years.
Ioannis Pesmazoglou
Next is another monumental tomb, this one belonging to Ioannis Pesmazoglou (b. 1857, Elis – d. 1906, Greece). He was a banker with family origins from Cappadocia who spent most of the first part of his life in the Ottoman Empire. Pesmazoglou worked for Crédit Lyonnais and became the head of the Anglo-Egyptian Bank in Alexandria before he moved to Athens in 1882. He founded his own bank in Athens, which merged with the Bank of Athens in 1897. Pesmazoglou served on the board of the Bank of Athens until his death and was also a member of Hellenic Parliament in 1905 and 1906.
Andreas Papandreou
A few steps away is the grave of Andreas Papandreou (b. 1919, Chios – d. 1996, Athens). A political heavyweight, he founded the PASOK party and served three terms as Prime Minister. As a student at the University of Athens in 1938, he was arrested and tortured for Trotskyism during the Metaxas dictatorship. He then left for the United States, where he earned a PhD in economics from Harvard and served in the US Navy during World War II.
After professorships at the University of Minnesota, Northwestern University, the University of California, Berkeley, Stockholm University in Sweden, and York University in Toronto, Papandreou returned to Greece in 1959 and got involved in politics. In 1964, he renounced his American citizenship and was elected to Hellenic Parliament. During the Greek Junta in 1967, he was imprisoned but later allowed to leave the country, settling in Sweden and not returning to Greece until 1974. Papandreou was elected Prime Minister for the first time in 1981, serving two consecutive terms until 1989. He served again from 1993 to 1996, and his son George served from 2009 to 2011.
Alexandros Karamanlakis
Behind Papandreou’s grave is Alexandros Karamanlakis (b. 1884 or 1888, Constantinople (now Istanbul) – d. 1912, Gulf of Corinth). Originally a journalist whose family moved to Athens in 1908 after the Young Turk Revolution, Karamanlakis started his own weekly newspaper in January 1911. He moved to Germany and then France in August of that year for journalistic studies, but later enrolled in a flight school run by French aviator Louis Blériot (1872-1936).
Karamanlakis returned to Greece in March 1912. On August 29, 1912, while attempting to fly from Athens to Patras, he was forced to land in the Gulf of Corinth due to engine failure. Unfortunately, he was unable to untangle himself from the ropes and wires of the plane and drowned. He was the 193rd aviation casualty in history and his funeral was attended by Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos (1864-1936).
Konstantinos Kotzias
On the other side of the square is the grave of Konstantinos Kotzias (b. 1892, Athens – d. 1951, Athens). He served as mayor of Athens from 1934 to 1936 and again in 1951 until his death from a heart attack. During the German invasion of Greece, he was selected by King George II to form a new government in the wake of the suicide of Prime Minister Alexandros Koryzis (1885-1941), but few politicians were willing to work under him due to his close association with the Metaxas regime and his reputation as a Germanophile. Kotzias then fled to the United States via Turkey to ride out the Axis occupation of Greece.
Kotzias was heavily involved in sports throughout his life. He competed in the 1912 Stockholm Olympics and the 1924 games in Paris as a fencer. Kotzias was the president of the Hellenic Football Federation from 1933 to 1934 and a member of the Hellenic Olympic Committee from 1935 to 1938. He also served as president of the Panathinaikos Athletic Club from 1937 to 1939. Kotzia Square, where City Hall is located, is named for him.
Georgios Kotzias
Georgios Kotzias (b. 1918, Chania – 1977, New York, New York), also known as George Cotzias, is buried in the family grave with his father. He fled to the United State with his family during World War II. He later graduated from Harvard Medical School and pioneered the L-dopa treatment for Parkinson’s disease.
Georgios Papandreou
Nearby is Georgios Papandreou (b. 1888, Kalentzi – d. 1968, Athens), the father of Andreas Papandreou and the founder of the family political dynasty. The elder Papandreou was a Venizelist and anti-royalist and was imprisoned several times for his beliefs. His political career spanned five decades, serving three terms as Prime Minister, from 1944 to 1945, 1963, and again from 1964 to 1965. He also served as a member of Hellenic Parliament, governor of Chios, Deputy Prime Minister from 1950 to 1952, and several terms as the Minister of Education. Papandreou was arrested and died under house arrest during the Greek Junta.
War Memorial
Finally, a few steps back towards the entrance of the First Cemetery of Athens is a war memorial for fallen soldiers.
Northern Section
The northern section of the First Cemetery of Athens contains more important burials. This part of the post covers the sections to the east and west of the main plaza.
Aliki Vougiouklaki
First, in the northwest corner of the cemetery is the grave of beloved actress Aliki Vougiouklaki (b. 1934, Athens – d. 1996, Athens). She was one of the most popular actresses in the country, starring in films as well as musicals and theatrical plays.
Vougiouklaki secretly auditioned for the National Theatre of Greece in 1952 and made her stage debut in The Imaginary Invalid in 1953. She died three months after being diagnosed with liver cancer. Her funeral was held at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens.
Vasilis Tsitsanis
A few steps away is one of the greatest composers of his time, Vasilis Tsitsanis (b. 1915, Trikala – d. 1984, London). He’s regarded as the founder of modern rebetiko and laiko music.
Tsitsanis left home in 1936 to study law in Athens, and had learned to play the bouzouki by 1937. The following year, he moved to Thessaloniki to complete his military service and stayed there for the duration of World War II. During that time, he opened an ouzeri and became famous.
In 1946, Tsitsanis returned to Athens and began recording his music. His songs made several singers who worked with him famous, including Sotiria Bellou and Marika Ninou (1922-1957). Throughout his musical career, Tsitsanis wrote over 500 songs, including Synnefiasmeni Kyriaki (Cloudy Sunday) in 1943, which is often regarded as an unofficial national anthem of Greece. Many of his songs are still enjoyed today.
Tzeni Karezi
Actress Tzeni Karezi (b. Evgeni Karpouzi, 1932, Athens – d. 1992, Athens) lies in the western boundary of the cemetery further south of the previous two graves. Also known as Jenny Karezi, she began studying acting at the National Theatre of Greece in 1951 and became famous in the 1960s when she started her own theatre troupe. Thousands attended her funeral after her death from breast cancer. The Jenny Karezi Foundation, a non-profit cancer pain relief and palliative care organization, was founded in 1992 in her memory.
Odysseas Elytis
Finally, in the section to the east of the main plaza is a grave that’s a little hard to find. Odysseas Elytis (b. Odysseas Alepoudellis, 1911, Heraklion – d. 1996, Athens) is buried in a family grave with a small plaque in front of the tombstone etched with is name. He was one of the greatest poets of the 20th century.
Elytis’ work covered a broad spectrum of subjects but he’s best known for the powerful Axion Esti (It is Worthy), published in 1959. It was set to music by Mikis Theodorakis (1925-2021) in 1961 and released in 1964. The moving song Tis Dikaiosinis Ilie Noite (The Sun of Justice), dramatically sung by Grigoris Bithikotsis (1922-2005), is revered by Greeks as an anthem for resistance and those suffering from injustice. Elytis received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1979.
Original Boundaries of the First Cemetery of Athens
The original gates to the First Cemetery of Athens sat at the south end of today’s main plaza. Some of the most important of the older burials are in this section.
Odysseas Androutsos
First of all, west of the main path on the north side is the grave of Odysseas Androutsos (b. c. 1788, Ithaca, Republic of Venice – d. 1825, Athens). He was an important but controversial figure of the Greek Revolution. Androutsos started out as a successful officer in the army of Ali Pasha (1740-1822) in Ioannina. By 1818, he had joined the Filiki Eteria, which was plotting the Greek revolt. After the Battle of Gravia Inn, he was named commander of the Greek forces on the eastern mainland.
Androutsis fell out with Minister of Internal Affairs Ioannis Kolettis (1773-1847), who accused him of collaborating with the Ottomans. He resigned his post and retreated to a cave on Mount Parnassus. He continued to fight against the Ottomans until 1824 despite the reluctance of the government to supply him. In an attempt to both humiliate the government and lure the Ottomans into a trap, Androutsos offered to switch sides on the condition the Ottomans give him leadership of the provinces of Evia, Talanti, Livadia and Thebes.
Yiannis Gouras (1771-1826), once Androutsos’ second in command, was sent to arrest him in early 1825. Androutsos surrendered and was imprisoned and tortured in the Frankish Tower on the Acropolis. He was then executed on June 5 by Ioannis Mamouris (1797-1867) and two other men. They threw his body from the Acropolis and spread word that he died trying to escape. He was then buried on the north slope of the Acropolis.
In 1865, Androutsos’ body was exhumed. A funeral was held at the Metropolitan Cathedral and he was buried at the First Cemetery of Athens. On July 15, 1967, his bones were transferred to an ossuary under a statue of himself in the main square of Preveza.
Sleeping Girl
Back on the main path is Sleeping Girl (Κοιμωμένη), one of the most famous sculptures in the First Cemetery of Athens. Sleeping Girl was commissioned in 1878 by the father of Sofia Afentaki, who died at the age of 18 of tuberculosis. It was created by Yannoulis Chalepas (1851-1938), who’s also buried in the cemetery.
Panagiotis Demestichas
Across the path is the grave of Panagiotis Demestichas (b. 1885, Kotronas – d. 1960, Athens). It’s marked by a bust of the former military leader. Demestichas was a career soldier who joined the Hellenic Army in 1905. He served in the First Balkan War, the Second Balkan War, on the Macedonian Front during World War I, and the Greco-Turkish War of 1919-1922. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General in August 1940 and commanded the 1st Army Corps during the Greco-Italian War.
During the Axis Occupation of Greece, Demestichas was a member of the collaborationist government, serving as Minister of the Interior until September 20, 1941. After the liberation of Greece, he was court-martialed and put on trial in 1944, eventually being dismissed from the army in 1946.
Charilaos Trikoupis
Walking south to the square in front of the Church of Saint Lazarus and turning left, you’ll find the simple grave belonging to Charilaos Trikoupis (b. 1832, Nafplio – d. 1896, Cannes, France). Trikoupis served as Prime Minister seven times during his political career. He studied law and literature at the University of Athens and in Paris, and in 1865 successfully negotiated the cessation of the Ionian Islands from the United Kingdom to Greece. That same year, he was elected to Hellenic Parliament and in 1866 was named the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Trikoupis became Prime Minister for the first time on May 8, 1875. One of his first acts was to introduce the vote of confidence to the Greek constitution. During his fourth term, he invested in infrastructure works, including the Corinth Canal. This eventually led to the country’s bankruptcy during his sixth term. During his seventh and final term in office, Greece was planning for the 1896 Olympics, which Trikoupis was reluctant to host. He resigned on January 24, 1895, and moved to Cannes four months later.
Theodoros Kolokotronis
On the next path heading north is the former grave of Theodoros Kolokotronis. Although his bones were transferred to Tripoli in the 1930s, the grave is still an important memorial and one of the most visited in the cemetery.
Early Life
Theodoros Kolokotronis (b. 1770, Ramovouni – d. 1843, Athens) was of one of the greatest heroes of the Greek Revolution. He was a klepht who served in the Russian Navy in 1805 during the Russo-Turkish War (1806–1812) and fled to Zakynthos in 1806 after Ottoman attacks against the klephts. Kolokotronis joined the British Army in 1809, serving under Richard Church during the Napoleonic Wars. A year later he was promoted to the rank of major. His time in the British Army influenced his revolutionary ideas and gave him valuable military leadership skills.
Greek Revolution
Kolokotronis returned to the mainland just before the outbreak of the Greek Revolution. He commanded the siege of Tripoli in the summer of 1821 and Nafplio in September 1821. He seized Acrocorinth in January 1822 and the fortress of Patras in February 1822. His forces then trapped the Ottomans and annihilated them at the Battle of Dervenakia in August 1822. This allowed the Greeks to complete the siege of Nafplio, which was captured in December 1822.
From December 1823 to February 1825, Kolokotronis took part in the Greek Civil Wars but was defeated and imprisoned in Hydra. He was released when the Ottomans called on Ibrahim Pasha (1789-1848) and the Egyptian army to enter the war. Kolokotronis defeated the Egyptians using guerrilla tactics and scorched earth, and was then named commander of the Greek forces in the Peloponnese.
After the War
After the war, Kolokotronis supported the accession of King Otto but opposed the regency council appointed until the king came of age. In retaliation, the regency sentenced him to death for treason on June 7, 1834, but he was pardoned and released by King Otto the following year. He later wrote his memoirs, which have been translated into several languages. His helmet and armor are on display at the National Historical Museum.
Nikitaras
Behind Theodoros Kolokotronis is Nikitas Stamatelopoulos, better known as Nikitaras (b. c. 1874, Nedoussa – d. 1849, Piraeus), another hero of the Greek Revolution. Nikitaras was a nephew of Kolokotronis and fought alongside him throughout the war. He earned his nickname, Tourkofagos (Turk-eater), during the Battle of Dervenakia, when he was said to have used five swords with four breaking as a result of excessive use. Nikitaras also fought at Messolonghi, Arachova, Faliro, and many other important battles.
A very honest man, Nikitaras refused to loot after battle and lived in poverty after the war. He was imprisoned along with Kolokotronis for treason against the regency of King Otto in 1834 and pardoned in 1841. His last wish was to be buried next to his uncle.
Sofia Vembo
At the end of the path is a famous singer, Sofia Vembo (b. Efi Bembou, 1910, Gallipoli – d. 1978, Athens). Born in Gallipoli, her family moved to Greece after the Greco-Turkish War of 1919-1922. She started singing in Thessaloniki in the 1930s and quickly became famous. Her reputation skyrocketed when she started performing patriotic and satirical songs after the start of the Greco-Italian War during World War II.
During the Axis Occupation of Greece, she left for the Middle East and performed for Greek troops in exile. She was awarded the rank of major in the Hellenic Army for her efforts. After the war, Vembo opened her own theatre in the Metaxourgeio neighborhood of Athens. She performed less and less in the 1960s and retired in the 1970s.
Around the Church of Saint Lazarus
The square in front of the Church of Saint Lazarus contains even more important burials at the First Cemetery of Athens. It’s located within the boundaries of the original cemetery.
Church of Saint Lazarus
First, the Church of Saint Lazarus is one of two Orthodox churches in the cemetery. It was built in 1840 and rebuilt in 1859.
Michael Tositsas
The most spectacular tomb near the Church of Saint Lazarus is that of Michael Tositsas (b. 1787, Metsovo – d. 1856, Athens), one of the biggest benefactors of modern Greece. Tositsas and his brothers took over their father’s fur shop in Thessaloniki in 1806. As the business grew, he sent his brothers to open a branch in Alexandria while he opened branches in Livorno and Malta. He eventually moved to Alexandria in 1820.
The Ottoman governor of Egypt, Muhammad Ali (1769-1849), was impressed with Tositsas and appointed him a personal advisor as well as the head of the first state bank, the Nile Riverboat company, and administrator of his land. Through is new positions, he became one of the most powerful landowners in Egypt, helped establish the Greek community there and jumpstarting the country’s cotton industry. During the Greek Revolution, he purchased the freedom of Greek captives in the Ottoman slave markets and later became the first General Consul of Greece in Alexandria. He’s considered the father of Hellenism in Egypt.
Tositsas moved to Athens in 1854. In his will, he left significant amounts of money for the poor, hospitals, churches, and schools in both Greece and Egypt. Some of the most important donations were to the University of Athens, the Arsakeion, and the National Technical University of Athens.
Evangelos Averof-Tositsas
Evangelos Averof-Tositsas (b. 1910, Trikala – d. 1990, Athens) is buried in the tomb of Michael Tositsas. He was a politician for over 50 years and an accomplished author. During the Axis Occupation of Greece, when he was Governor of Corfu, he was imprisoned in Italy and escaped a year later to form the Freedom or Death resistance group. In 1946, he was elected to Hellenic Parliament and later served as Minister of Supply, Economy and Agriculture as well as Foreign Minister.
Averof-Tositsas was arrested on May 23, 1973, as an instigator of the Velos Mutiny during the Greek Junta of 1967-1974. After the restoration of democracy in 1974, he joined the centre-right New Democracy Party and served as Minister of Defense from 1974 to 1981. He was then party leader from 1981 to 1984.
Konstantinos Kanaris
Near the tomb of Tositsas is Konstantinos Kanaris (b. c. 1790, Psara – d. 1877, Athens), a hero of the Greek Revolution. In 1821, his home island of Psara formed its own fleet for the revolution and Kanaris quickly became captain of a fire ship.
On June 6-7, 1822, he destroyed the Ottoman flagship off the island of Chios in retaliation for the massacre that occurred two months earlier. This caused the death of over 2,000 Ottoman sailors including Kara Ali Pasha, the admiral of the Ottoman fleet. He led another successful attack bombing an Ottoman frigate off the island of Tenedos (now Bozcaada) in November 1822. In 1825, he attempted to destroy the whole Egyptian fleet in the harbor of Alexandria, but the wind died down just after the Greek ships entered the harbor.
After Greece won its independence, Kanaris became an officer in the Hellenic Navy and eventually reached the rank of admiral. He later became a politician and served five terms as Prime Minister. He also took part in the insurrection that deposed King Otto in 1862. His heart is kept in an urn at the National Historical Museum.
Sir Richard Church
Across the square is Sir Richard Church (b. 1784, Cork, UK (now Ireland) – d. 1873, Athens). He was an Irish military officer in the British Army who fought in the Greek Revolution. In the summer of 1809, he sailed to the French-occupied Ionian Islands to take them from France. He formed a Greek regiment and commanded Theodoros Kolokotronis, who later became a leader of the Greek Revolution and a national hero.
On April 15, 1827, Church assumed the position of commander-in-chief of the Greek army, which had fallen into anarchy and indiscipline. Unable to secure cooperation or obedience, he resigned on August 25, 1829. He lived the rest of his life in Greece, serving as a general in the Hellenic Army and a senator. Church died at the age of 99. The inscription on his tomb reads:
“Richard Church, General, who having given himself and all he had, to rescue a Christian race from oppression, and to make Greece a nation, lived for her service, and died among her people, rests here in peace and faith”
Adamantios Korais
On the path west of the square is one of the most important tombs at the First Cemetery of Athens. It belongs to Greek scholar Adamantios Korais (b. 1748, Smyrna (now Izmir, Turkey) – d. 1833, Paris), whose political ideas greatly influenced the Philhellenic movement and paved the way for the Greek Revolution. He also laid the foundations of modern Greek literature and helped shape the political process after Greece won its independence.
Korais was passionate about philosophy, literacy, and linguistics. He graduated from the Evangelical School of Smyrna and moved to Amsterdam to become a merchant. He decided to further his studies and enrolled at the school of medicine at the University of Montpellier in 1782, graduating in 1787. Korais then moved to Paris in 1788, where he began translating the works of ancient Greek writers.
During his time in Paris, where he spent most of the rest of his life, Korais witnessed the French Revolution and exchanged political and philosophical ideas with Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826). He also encouraged wealthy Greeks to open libraries and schools. His house in Paris became a meeting place for Parisian Greeks to exchange information and raise financial aid during the Greek Revolution.
Korais was Greek Orthodox but a fierce critic of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, which he considered a tool of the Ottoman Empire. He criticized monasticism and lack of education in the clergy and also believed in religious freedom and tolerance. He redefined the Greek language, which led to the creation of Katharevousa (pure Greek), and his ideas had a major influence on the Greek Constitution, legal and judicial systems. Korais was initially buried in Paris and his remains were transferred to the First Cemetery of Athens in 1877.
Mimikos and Mary
Finally, hidden away in a section east of the Church of Saint Lazarus are the graves of Mihalis Mimikos and Marie Weber (d. 1893). Weber was a German teacher working for the Greek royal family. She was in love with Mimikos, who was a doctor serving his term in the Hellenic Army. Weber asked her father for permission to marry Mimikos, but he refused. She committed suicide by jumping off the Acropolis, and Mimikos shot himself in response. The 1958 film Mimikos and Mary is loosely based on their story. Aliki Vougiouklaki played the role of Mary.
“Musicians Corner”
A handful of famous singers are buried in what I like to call the Musicians Corner. It’s a newer section located on the east side of the First Cemetery of Athens.
Octave and Melpo Merlier
First, just inside the section on the first row to the right is musicologist Melpo Merlier (b. Melpo Logothetis, 1890, Xanthi – d. 1979, Athens). She grew up in Constantinople and founded the Musical Folklore Archives (Μουσικά Αρχεία της Παράδοσης) with the initial goal of recording the traditional music of Greece and Asia Minor. The scope of the project expanded to include researching Hellenism in Asia Minor and the history and cultural heritage of its refugees. It’s now known as the Center for Asia Minor Studies (Κέντρο Μικρασιατικών Σπουδών). Merlier also recorded a large portion of Byzantine music in 1930.
Melpo is buried with her husband, Octave Merlier (b. 1897, Roubaix, France – d. 1976, Athens). He was the director of the French Institute of Athens (Institut français d’Athènes), now the French Institute of Greece (Institut français de Grèce) from 1938 to 1961.
Stratos Dionysiou
Nearby in the same row is Stratos Dionysiou (b. 1935, Nigrita, Serres – d. 1990, Athens). The son of refugees from Ayvali (now Ayvalık, Turkey), he started his career in the 1950s singing for free in nightclubs while working as a tailor and peddler. He debuted professionally in Thessaloniki at the Farida nightclub and later went to sing in Athens. He recorded his first song in 1958, but didn’t become famous until the late 1960s.
In 1973, Dionysiou was arrested for possession of a gun and hashish. He was sentenced to prison on May 30, 1975, and released a year later. After his release, no nightclub or record company wanted to be associated with him until Makis Matsas took a chance. It was a huge success, and Dionyisiou broke several sales records in the 1980s. He even opened his own nightclub, Stratos, in 1987. Hours before his death of an abdominal aortic aneurysm at the age of 54, he recorded nine songs for a new album and was singing in his nightclub.
Demis Roussos
At the end of the next row is Demis Roussos (b. 1946, Alexandria, Egypt – d. 2015, Athens), a successful soloist who sold over 60 million albums worldwide. Roussos grew up in Alexandria and moved to Greece when his parents lost their possessions during the Suez Crisis in 1956. He joined progressive rock band Aphrodite’s Child in 1967 and began his solo career in 1971. He was also famous for wearing a caftan.
In June 1985, Roussos was a passenger on TWA Flight 847 from Athens to Rome, which was hijacked. He was released after five days while other hostages remained on the plane for 17 days. Roussos died of liver, stomach, and pancreatic cancer.
Dimitris Mitropanos
In the same row is Dimitris Mitropanos (b. 1948, Trikala – d. 2012, Athens), one of my personal favorite Greek singers of all time. He moved to Athens in 1964 and started his music career before finishing high school. He ended up working with some of the greatest Greek composers over the course of his career.
Mitropanos had a heart attack and died of pulmonary edema. He instructed his family to decline any offer of a state funeral. The offer came, but the family covered the expense of the funeral themselves.
Nikos Xylouris
Next to Mitropanos is Nikos Xylouris (b. 1936, Anogeia, Crete – d. 1980, Piraeus), who is one of the most beloved Greek folk singers of all time. Xylouris learned to play the Cretan Lyra at a young age and later moved to Heraklion to start his music career. He initially faced great difficulty, but in 1967 established the first Cretan folk music hall in the city. This helped create an eventual revival of Cretan folk music, and his popularity exploded in 1969.
During the Greek Junta of 1967-1974, Xylouris moved to Athens. Students began to use his songs to rebel against the military dictatorship. He stood by their side during the Athens Polytechnic School Uprising of 1973, entering the school with Stavros Xarchakos and singing songs banned by the regime. This led to his songs being banned from Greek television and radio, but he was never exiled or imprisoned like many other musicians. After the restoration of democracy in 1974, he enjoyed great success until his untimely death of lung cancer in 1980.
Sotiria Bellou
Finally, against the back wall of the section is Sotiria Bellou (b. 1921, Drosia, Evia – d. 1997, Athens), one of the most famous rebetiko singers. She started singing at the age of three and was making her own guitars out of wire and wood. Her parents arranged her marriage in 1938 at the age of 17, but it lasted only 6 months due to alleged abuse by her husband. During one of their fights, she threw vitriol in his face and was sentenced to three years and three months in prison. She eventually served only six months.
Bellou moved to Athens in 1940, right before Italy invaded Greece. She worked several different jobs and began singing with Vasilis Tsitsanis. She also joined the Greek Resistance against the Axis occupation of Greece and participated on the side of the left-wing Greek People’s Liberation Army (ELAS) in the Dekemvriana events, which eventually culminated in the Greek Civil War. In addition to her political activism, Bellou lived openly as a lesbian at a time when it was extremely taboo.
For the rest of her career, Bellou sang in the best clubs in Athens. Eventually, gambling and alcoholism would lead her to poverty and she had very little support during her battle with throat cancer towards the end of her life. She was never honored during her lifetime, probably due to her controversial personality and lifestyle, and was only truly celebrated after her death.
