Recently I visited Patras, the capital of Greece’s Achaea region. I had visited the region many times before but I had not had the time to take in the sights of Patras, the third largest city in Greece. I was always passing through on my way to or from the Peloponnese, crossing the famous Trikoupis bridge.
But I now discovered some of the rich history and burgeoning life of the city. My recent journey there revealed some of its amazing highlights. My appreciation was the result of my having been given a well-informed personal tour of Patras’ historic areas by one of my partner Vicki’s relatives – Jenny Kyritsis – a retired educator who volunteers at a major local museum who proved to be an inspiring advocate for her home city. Jenny exudes enthusiasm for a story she feels is little appreciated. She was ably assisted on our tour by another local relative Jim Sarris, another educator. Both Jenny and Jim are part of the local Greek-Australian diaspora, having both lived in Australia for many years in their youth.
We start with a tour of Patras’ great St Andrew’s Cathedral. This huge cathedral has many stunning icons and murals. One that takes my eye is a unique and striking mural depicting a famous act of resistance to the Axis occupation in WW2 that took place in Patras. The defiance and bravery of the locals is reinforced by the great memorial statue to Bishop Germanos, one of the leaders of the Greek war of independence, which stands in nearby Psilalonia Square.
Then we came to the Kostas Palamas House and Museum in central Patras. Born here in 1859, Kostas Palamas was a journalist, poet and key figure and co-founder of a literary revival in Greece in the 1880’s that would be known as the New Athenian School. Often referred to as Greece’s national poet, amongst his works are the lyrics of the Olympic Hymn. But my own knowledge of Palamas was as a symbol of resistance to the Axis occupation of Greece in WW2. I had read about how his writings had been banned during the occupation and that his funeral in Athens in 1943 was the occasion for one of the great spontaneous demonstrations against the occupation, several thousands attending. At his funeral fellow poet Angelos Sikelanos recited his funerary poem which roused the mourners to oppose the occupiers.
I approached the visit to his former home with excitement. I was not to be disappointed. The house is one of Patras’ remaining neoclassical buildings and has been faithfully restored into a museum space. One of its treasures is its original marble fireplace dating from the 1840’s. First we see a major exhibition on the history of the Olympic movement and Kostas Palamas’ role in it. I was glad to see amongst the many Olympic torches on display that of Sydney and Melbourne – as well as Athens of course. Upstairs are more displays on Kostas Palamas, including a display on his 1943 funeral.
We are fortunate to be offered a private tour by the Museum Director, Nikos Bakrozis. The Museum contains a complete collection of Kostas’ writings and publications. In these we see his important role in the cultural fight for the use of the demotic language in modern Greece. Kostas was a constant advocate for both its importance and usage in all forms of discourse. In this he played a key part in what can be considered a major conflict at the heart of modern Greece, with the split between advocates of demotic and those of the more formal (some might say artificial) Katharevousa often mirroring that between Royalist and Republican supporters. The road to the final triumph of demotic was a tortuous one but eventually Palamas and his co-advocates won the day.
The Museum also contains a display on the life of the famous Italian writer and publisher Mathilde Serrai who also lived in the house for a time before moving to Italy. There she established a major newspaper that is still in publication. She also lived her life as she thought fit, often defying convention. An ardent anti-fascist, she famously rebuked Italian dictator Mussolini to his face that her newspaper would never support his fascist movement. The Museum is also home to a temporary display on the Holocaust and resistance in Greece in WW2.
We then viewed one of the local bunker complexes used by locals in response to air attacks by the Italians in 1940. Possibly the remains of a Roman-era structure, the local population were forced to seek safety in bunkers like these. This bunker complex is now preserved as a museum, with informative display boards tell the story of the era, the bombings, the war and the local resistance. These are complemented with new artistic interpretations and installations stimulating the visitor to think on these days of war, death and survival.
Above Patras on the outskirts of the city are the amazing Mycenaean tombs at Vendoumi. The whole site contains the remains of the settlement and its cemetery. The latter are a must see for anyone interested in the history of the region and Greece. They have been the site of some of the most significant excavations of the Mycenaean era, dating from between 1,400 and 1,000BCE. These tombs are located many metres below the surface, accessed by long descending cuts in the earth. As we walked down the long entrance to the deep tomb I was reminded of my previous visits to other European archaeological sites such as Orkney’s Maeshowe tomb (dated to 3,000BCE) and Newgrange tomb outside Dublin (dated to 3,200 BCE). You have the same feeling of descending slowly through the ages through narrow access shafts. Inside the tomb is a large rectangular room which once contained the remains and burial goods which are now preserved in Patras’ new archaeological museum.
Returning to the city on our way to visit Patras Castle, we stopped briefly to view the oldest Ottoman-era hammam baths in all Greece. These have been operating since 1400CE and are in regular use by locals. The hammam has been refurbished but retains the original baths, reminding me of the similar baths at Therma on Lemnos, which were well patronised by the Australian and other Allied troops in 1915.
Patras Castle was erected by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian around 600CE following an earthquake and like many castles in Greece was built on the site of a former acropolis. Despite brief periods of Latin rule, the Castle remained in Byzantine control until it fell to the Ottomans in 1458. The remains of the Castle are impressive, with outer and inner walls, moats and various towers. It is well worth the walk up on to the battlements where one can enjoy great views of across the city and over to Nafpaktos, the waters of the Gulf of Patras and the Ionian Sea beyond.
Our next stop on our history tour was to the new Patras Archaeological Museum. This modern building, with its striking steel and wooden structure, holds an impressive collection of artefacts from ancient and Hellenistic Greece to the Roman and Byzantine eras. As you enter the Museum you see items recently repatriated from museums in the US, telling the story of their recent return. One of the distinctive features of the Museum is a “skywalk-type” structure which provides the viewer with a more complete scene of the great massive mosaic floors placed below. Amongst the impressive collection of glass and pottery, I was particularly taken by the stone olive press and separator dating from 100CE, a Roman era ceramic colander or strainer and the clay coffins or larnax, with their delicate fish motifs, dating from between 1,400-1,000BCE. Well worth a visit.
We had also taken the opportunity the previous day to visit some of the locations dear to Vicki’s father George who came to Patras as a youth, where he learned important life skills which have served him well. Across many decades, George had no problem remembering the location of his former home, which still stands, opposite the remains of a Roman-era coliseum. History is never far away in Greece.
The tour finished with a lovely meal on the Patras Riviera – as I like to call the marina – with its sailing boats moored nearby with spectacular views of the opening of the Gulf of Patras and Ionian Sea beyond. Here the discussion moves on from public history to the personal stories of migration that many will be familiar with. Migrants are changed, living constantly between two worlds, yearning for a lost but comforting past in a changed world. The memories are sad and sweet at the same time. But we all agree that life is for the living and we must seize the day! Next time you are planning your trip to Greece, think of stopping a day or two in Patras. You won’t be disappointed.
*Jim Claven OAM is a trained historian, freelance writer and published author who has researched the Anzac trail in Greece across both world wars. The author of a number of books on the Hellenic link to Anzac, Jim was also the Associate Producer of the documentary Anzac The Greek Chapter. He thanks Jenny Kyitsis and Jim Sarris for introducing him to Patras’ history. He can be contacted via email – jimclaven@yahoo.com.au.
