Missolonghi welcomes the iconic painting by Eugène Delacroix
In a highly charged atmosphere, marked by deep emotion and admiration, the Xenokrateion Archaeological Museum of Missolonghi welcomed on Saturday, March 14, the iconic painting by Eugène Delacroix, “Greece on the Ruins of Missolonghi” (La Grèce sur les ruines de Missolonghi), during an official press conference attended by the Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni. The work was lent by the Museum of Fine Arts of Bordeaux as part of the events commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Exodus of Missolonghi and will remain at the Xenokrateion until November 2026. As of Sunday, March 15, the public has the opportunity to view up close the historic painting by the great Philhellene artist, who, just a few months after the heroic Exodus of 1826, created a work of profound symbolic power, despite never having visited the city. (Cover photo by journalist Nikos Aliagas (https://www.instagram.com/nikosaliagas/p/DV1LJ4iCFcl/). Nikos Aliagas notes that “it is a profound journey through time, where art invites us to reflect on the relationship between human beings and the non-negotiable ideals of existence. Artistic masterpieces are not merely visual achievements; they embody the universal truths that shape societies, traversing the centuries and our shared destiny”).
The Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni and journalist Nikos Aliagas at the press conference (photo https://www.tanea.gr)
The Minister of Culture emphasized that Delacroix’s choice of Missolonghi was far from accidental, as the Third Siege and the Exodus of 1826 shook Europe and secured for the city a distinct place in the memory of Philhellenes. As she noted, the months of starvation, the resistance to the very end, and the conscious decision of the inhabitants not to surrender but to undertake an exodus that was at once doomed and redemptive transformed Missolonghi into a timeless symbol of self-sacrifice and moral transcendence. She further pointed out that the designation “Sacred City,” later attributed to Missolonghi, was not merely honorary, but reflected the conviction that an act of the highest human dignity took place there, worthy of History itself. According to the Minister, it was precisely this deeper moral dimension that Delacroix succeeded in capturing in a unique way. Ms Mendoni further emphasized that Delacroix’s work is not confined to illustrating historical events, but brings to the fore the spiritual essence and cultural depth of the Greek Revolution. As she noted, it is an image that remains timeless and relevant, and has come to be established as one of the most recognizable symbols of the struggle for freedom, not only for the Greeks but more broadly.
Eugène Delacroix, Greece on the Ruins of Missolonghi, 1826, oil on canvas, Dimensions: 213 x 142 cm (frame excluded), Acquisition: bought by the Salon de la Société des Amis des Arts de Bordeaux, 1852, Musée des Beaux-Arts Bordeau (MUSBA)
Temporary exhibition “Exodus, 1826–2026” in Missolonghi
The National Historical Museum (NHM) and the Region of Western Greece, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the Exodus of Missolonghi, co-organize an exhibition titled “Exodus, 1826–2026”, to be held in Missolonghi from March 20 to October 15, 2026, at the Chryssogelos Mansion. The exhibition offers a concise presentation of the events of the Second Siege of Missolonghi, their impact, and their influence on the shaping of national collective memory.
Odysseas Maroulis (1878–1956), Relief topographic map of the fortification of Mesolonghi during the final siege, National Historical Museum
A. Jaquème, “The remaining members of the garrison of Mesolonghi at the moment they set fire to the powder magazine to blow themselves up,” oil painting, Michalis and Dimitra Varkarakis Collection
Polychronis Lembesis(1848–1913), Ioannis Trikoglidis [1891–1962], “Athanasios Razikotsikas” (1929), oil painting, National Historical Museum (left), “Christos Kapsalis” (1881), oil painting, National Historical Museum (right)
The exhibition unfolds on two distinct levels and is divided into two parts. The first part, dedicated to the historical events, is structured into three thematic sections: (i) the Siege, (ii) the Exodus, and (iii) Memory. Unique artifacts—including paintings and engravings, personal belongings and weapons, costumes, medals, and decorations from the collections of the National Historical Museum, as well as documents, newspapers, and photographs from the Archive of Historical Documents and the Photographic Archive of the Historical and Ethnological Society of Greece—have traveled to Missolonghi, some for the first time. The second part of the exhibition features representations of the Exodus in public history, highlighting the symbolism and interpretations of the event through compositions accessible to younger audiences.
Konrad Lange (1806–1856), Commemorative medal with a symbolic depiction of the Exodus of Mesolonghi (1836), National Historical Museum (left), “The women of Mesolonghi in battle, ” Porcelain plate from the Montereau faience factory, National Historical Museum (right)
Vryzakis Theodoros (1814 or 1819 – 1878), Kapsali’s Sacrifice, Oil on canvas, 134 x 144 cm, Athens National gallery. The sacrifice of Christos Kapsalis (1826) stands as a supreme act of self-sacrifice during the Exodus of Missolonghi, when the local notable blew up the gunpowder store to prevent the remaining elderly, wounded, and women and children from falling into Ottoman hands.
Temporary exhibition “Missolonghi 1826: 200 Years since the Exodus” at the Benaki Museum
On the occasion of the bicentennial of the Exodus of Missolonghi, the Benaki Museum is organising an anniversary exhibition dedicated to the Holy City of Missolonghi, the Greek War of Independence, and the Philhellenic movement. The aim of the exhibition is, on one hand, to honor this pivotal event in the Greek Revolution, which shocked international public opinion and greatly strengthened Philhellenism, and, on the other hand, to highlight the significance and timelessness of the heroic Exodus of the people of Missolonghi.
Through representative paintings, drawings, engravings, books, and objects, the exhibition presents an extensive and multi-layered selection of the iconography of Missolonghi, the national liberation struggle, and Philhellenism. Rare artefacts from the Benaki Museum, the Dr John Robertson collection of drawings and engravings, as well as other institutions and private collections, shed light on how revolutionary Missolonghi served as a point of reference for both political Philhellenism and the intellectual formation of modern Greece. The exhibition combines iconic works with unknown and previously unpublished artefacts, offering a renewed and enriched perspective on Missolonghi and the Greek Revolution. Selected thematic sections (from ephemera and artistic practices to the role of the Press, the family, women, and public spectacles) highlight the broader cultural and ideological context of the era.
Giovanni Berselli (1802-1860) (engraver) – Narducci Pietro (1793-1880) (draughtsman), Missolonghite mother with her child, 1837, Tinted etching, Spyros Sakalis Collection (left), Announcement of Lord Byron’s death in the newspaper Telegrafo Greco, issue no. 6, 24 April 1824, British School at Athens. The foreign language newspaper Telegrafo Greco aimed to inform international public opinion on the events in Greece. It was printed in Missolonghi, at the press of Johann Jakob Meyer and Dimitris Mestheneas, with Count Pietro Gamba as editorial director (right)
Pistol belonging to Lord Byron, Wood, steel, Benaki Museum, donated by R. J. H. Jenkins. In 1834, Dionysios Solomos gave the two pistols to Lord Nugent, the liberal British Governor of the Ionian Islands (1832-1835)
Johann Lorenz II Rugendas (1775-1826) (draughtsman), The Exodus of Missolonghi, 1826, Coloured aquatint, Benaki Museum
Alphonse-Marie de Neuville (1835-1885) (draughtsman), The Defence of Missolonghi, Tinted lithograph, Benaki Museum
Commemorative fan from the concert held at the Vauxhall Hall in Paris, on 26 April 1826, in support of the Struggle of the Greeks, Paper, wood, Benaki Museum
Read also:
Missolonghi – Sacred City: 200 Years Since the Exodus (1/2)
Poem of the Month: “On This Day I Complete My Thirty-Sixth Year” by Lord Byron
Book of the Month: “The Greek Revolution of 1821 and its Global Significance” by Roderick Beaton
Greek Revolution in the works of foreign artists
TAGS: 1821 | HISTORY | PHILHELLENISM
