Visit to Aegina by a delegation of the Committee "Greece 2021"

• The Committee "Greece 2021" visits Aegina, where the first Government of Greece was sworn in
• Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki: On this island, Ioannis Kapodistrias, the true patriot, inscribed the fight for freedom

A delegation of the Committee "Greece 2021", headed by President Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, visited Aegina, where on the 26th of January, 1828, with one of the surviving Holy Gospels of the Metropolis of the island in his hand, Ioannis Kapodistrias swore in as the first Governor of Greece. The historic island in the Saronic Gulf played a dominant role in the early years of the establishment the modern Greek State.

"Today, I am in Aegina, on the island where some of the most brilliant pages of the great struggle for the establishment of the modern Greek State were written. I had the opportunity to see from up close the historic Metropolis, with the wooden pew of Kapodistrias, the true patriot who inscribed the struggle for freedom. And also, the Governorate, the headquarters of the first government of the Greek State ", said the President of the Committee and added: "So much has happened in the history of modern Greece during these 200 years. Many outbreaks of patriotism and bravery made our national identity possible, a fact that we take for granted nowadays. We are the succession of our ancestors, the manifestation of their struggles, their strength, and endurance."

The foundations for the rebirth of modern Greece were laid on the island

The Committee delegation met at the old town hall of the island with the Mayor of Aegina Giannis Zorbas and the head of the Municipal Committee for the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution, Manolis Kottakis. "It was destiny that led, contrary to initial planning, Ioannis Kapodistrias to be sworn in as governor here. To issue the "phoenix", the Greek State's currency, to establish the orphanage, the National Bank, the interteaching school. It was destiny that guided the foundations for the spiritual rebirth of modern Greece to be laid here," said Mr. Kottakis. He also stated, that if we go back in time to observe the state of the newly founded Greek Nation and then make the return journey back, "we will appreciate the distance we have covered since then. Despite our catastrophes that were more numerous than our triumphs, we are a great Nation." In his response, the Mayor of Aegina insisted on the role played by many natives of Aegina in the battles of the Revolution of 1821. "The great history of our land, the heritage of our island, includes the contribution of the Aeginites who fought in 1821," he said, referring to Georgios Tselepis and Kyriakos Mourtzis, who "along with many others sacrificed their lives so that we can be free today".

Following in the footsteps of Kapodistrias

During the visit, the Committee delegation was offered a tour at the Metropolis of the island by Father Emmanuel Giannoulis, vicar of the Metropolitan Church, author, and researcher of the Kapodistrian period, who presented a detailed retrospect of the history of the church and the role of the island during the Revolution. The President of the Committee also visited the historic Governorate, the "first Maximos Mansion" and the first Governor of Greece's first residence. It is noted that one of the projects planned by the Municipality of Aegina, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the Revolution, is the digital representation and illustration of the governance of the first Governor of Greece. The President of the Committee invited the Municipal Authority to include the events and projects it will organize in the anniversary's collective national calendar. At the same time, there was also a discussion with the Municipality on the possibility of submitting to the Committee, even at this point, more proposals for projects for the 200th anniversary.

"In 2021, we enter the third century of the history of the modern Greek State that our ancestors established with the Revolution. This entire 200-year history is the property of all of us. Victories and defeats, triumphs, and cancelations constitute our course. A course that Kapodistrias inscribed here in Aegina", noted among other things the President of the Committee. As part of the visit, the Committee delegation also visited the temple of Aphaia, an important archaeological monument, a supreme creation of archaic architecture, dating back to around 500-490 BC and believed to have been a prototype for the architects of the Parthenon, Iktinos and Kallikrates.