The Music Foundation of the Holy Archdiocese of Athens presents the second online special in memory of the 200 years since the Greek Revolution (1821-2021). Through the great work effected into traditional songs, “The Morea of 1821” by the musician-researcher and artist Constantinos Pavlopoulos and the musician and associate of the Foundation and the Conservatoire Yiannis Pavlopoulos, a multitude of beautiful songs is presented, out of which we have selected the five most representative ones referring to important moments of the pre-revolutionary and revolutionary Greece. The Greek Revolution of 1821 was and will be an inexhaustible source of inspiration and constant drawing upon our national memory, as well as a great pool of eminent personalities who fought for faith and fatherland, for holies and hearths !


“The snow is shining”. Song inspired by the Kolokotronis family

An eminent and leading personality of the Struggle for the National Liberation was Theodoros Kolokotronis. He was born on April 3, 1770, “on an Easter Monday, upon a mountain, under a tree”, in Ramovouni of Messenia. The liberation of Greece was to Kolokotronis the great vision and the guidepost of his life. The Turks had been keeping the leader features of Kolokotronis under scrutiny and sought to take him out by any means.

On December 1, 1821, in the Holy Church of Saint George of Zakynthos he was initiated into the Society of Friends (“Filiki Etairia”, in Greek) by Nikolaos Pangalos. In the following year he met with Ioannis Capodistrias, at that time Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Empire. On January 6, 1821, he disembarked at Kardamyli of Mani and gave himself entirely over to the struggle. His mere presence was an influential catalyst, heartening, encouraging, and firing people up for the liberation of Greece. The divine grace protected him, giving him strength, courage, and endurance. Thoughtful, shrewd, wise, quite educated, with administrative and organizational skills, he was a guarantee for the success of the struggle. His arrival in Morea also signaled the dawning of the much-desired freedom for the Greeks. Long before arriving in Mani he was a chieftain. A true leader, who returned to unite the people, to organize the irregular army, to hearten and encourage the fighters. His name became widely known and his figure a driving force of the Revolution. Kolokotronis was, is and will be a national asset for Greece and its independence in the contemporary period.


“Have you heard what happened”. Song referring to the “paidomazoma
(i.e. the practice of forced recruitment of Christian boys under the Ottoman Empire)

Originally, the Ottomans would choose boys aged 6 to 7 and only one from each family. Later, however, recruitment was generalized to include older children too. At the same time, the number of children likely to be recruited from each family rose. In order to avoid the “paidomazoma”, many Christian subjects of the Ottomans would resort to child marriage or convert to Islam, yet even that did not thwart the intentions of the Ottomans. The forced recruitment of boys was one of the most extreme forms of Islamization.


“Flessa’s mother sits”. The battle at Maniaki

A heroic figure of the Revolution was the Archimandrite Gregorios Dikaios-Flessas. Unconventional, enthusiastic, with an unrivalled love of God and fatherland, he believed in freedom more than in anything else. Papaflessas would never rest : at times as head of military detachments, at other times next to Theodoros Kolokotronis, yet at other moments with Demetrios Ypsilantis, he would fight daringly wherever there was a battle. In December of 1821 he was a delegate plenipotentiary in the Assembly of Epidaurus. He got involved in politics. The Second Assembly (that of Astros) in 1823 elected him Minister of Foreign Affairs. The civil war found him in his element: he proved that, apart from a fervent patriot, he could as easily be Minister of Military Affairs as a faithful laborer of the Gospel, lover of the fatherland, ambitious and uncompromising. He was a member of Koundouriotis’ Government, with Kolokotronis, Zaimis and Londos imprisoned, when, in February of 1825, Ibrahim landed on Morea, at the head of the Egyptian troops.

Papaflessas proposed that an amnesty be granted, that all prisoners be released and that the people confront the invaders united. However, offices seemed to count more than danger. His proposal was rejected. He was furious. He stepped on the tribune of the Parliament and announced that he would gather 10,000 armed men and would confront Ibrahim to defeat him or die. If he came back victorious, though, he vowed to free the prisoners himself.

Numbers did not add up in his favour. With barely 2,000 fighters he could find, he marched against the invader and arrived first at Maniaki, near Pylos, which seemed to him a good place for battle. He had his men construct haphazard fortifications and waited for the enemy. The Egyptian army appeared, in huge numbers and terrifying. Those fortified were disheartened. Many left him. Only Papaflessas and another 300 remained. The priest had become like a beast. He got on a rock and delivered a fiery speech. They had the guts and would win! The battle raged on May 20, 1825. The Egyptians would charge in waves but were pushed back by the Greeks. Nonetheless, ever fewer defenders remained standing after each attack. The Egyptians continued coming by the thousands. Six hundred of them lay dead but Ibrahim would constantly order renewed attacks. By the evening, all the Greek defenders were dead. Ibrahim asked that the body of the chief be brought to him. He had it put up against a tree. It was said that he kept on looking at his enemy like this for a long time. Rumour has it that at some point he rose on his tiptoes and left a kiss on his forehead.


“Arkadiani”, referring to a real person
(Diamanto Buhana from Kyparissia)


“Thirty ships”. The naval battle of Navarino

Every important national endeavour succeeds thanks to the right strategic planning and diplomatic action. However, an appropriate and favourable conjuncture is also required, and each nation pursuing a great cause must identify this, analyze it correctly and take advantage of it.

Very Rev. Archimandrite Father Eirenaios Nakos
Director General of the Music Foundation of the Holy Archdiocese of Athens
Theologian – Musician


See the 
first 1821-2021 Memory Special here