The President of the Republic, Konstantinos Tasoulas, inaugurated tonight the exhibition “In the Glorious Grove. Messolonghi 1826, Exodus”, organized by the National Library of Greece in cooperation with the General State Archives, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the Exodus of Messolonghi.
During his address, Mr. Tassoulas underlined that “Messolonghi inspires and guides us today, showing us that in demanding times, courage and self-denial allow us to overcome difficulties” and added that “Self-sacrifice transcends events and when it becomes collective it transcends the limits of the moment. Thus, out of an apparent defeat, the victories of the future that define history are born. For, in the end, a revolution is judged not so much in the battles of arms, but to a greater extent, in the battles of ideas, on the field of faith and ideals.”
He noted that “There are battles in the history of nations where the defeated are more glorified than the victors. Not because the outcome is forgotten, but because the greatness of the souls of men who stood against their fate with unprecedented self-sacrifice is recognized.”
Referring to the exhibition, he congratulated the National Library of Greece and the General State Archives for this important initiative, which, he said, “unfolds 340 valuable documents, divided into 13 sections, which will attempt, if we are good recipients of this attempt, to convey not only information, but also the famous flavour of the era. The aroma of the era that is the most difficult to visit in the knowledge of history” and added that “We commemorate 200 years of an event that was decisive for the existence of the new Hellenism. It does not only belong to the past. It continues to converse with the present and binds us for the future.”
Specifically, during his address, Mr. Tasoulas pointed out:
“Ladies and gentlemen,
There are battles in the history of nations where the defeated are more glorified than the victors. Not because the outcome is forgotten, but because the greatness of the souls of the men who stood against their fate with unprecedented self-sacrifice is recognized.
Self-sacrifice transcends facts. And when it becomes collective, it is a force that transcends the limits of the moment.
Let us make an attempt to transport ourselves to those dramatic moments of the Exodus ritual. The Exodus was meticulously prepared. They all unanimously agreed on the Exodus. Even those who could not because of illness or trauma or age, and they too agreed to stay in the powder magazine that would be blown up so that they would not be captured, and therefore die free.
And in the Exodus ritual, in those dramatic moments that in our own lives today are almost inconceivable moments, everyone embraced, forgave each other and said “good riddance”. But where ‘goodbye’? Goodbye to the other world. And this did not bend them, this wish that they gave to each other. And resolved, at dawn on Palm Sunday, they carried out the priesthood, now the Exodus.
Self-sacrifice, then, transcends events and when it becomes collective it transcends the limits of the moment. Thus, out of an apparent defeat, the victories of the future that define history are born. For, in the end, a revolution is judged not so much in the battles of arms, but to a greater extent, in the battles of ideas, on the field of faith and ideals.
One such moment was the famous Exodus of Messolonghi.
Today, at the opening of this excellent exhibition, which highlights that era through valuable documents, it is worth expressing our warm congratulations to the National Library of Greece and the General State Archives for this important initiative.
An initiative that unfolds before our eyes and our senses 340 precious documents, divided into 13 sections, which will attempt, if we are good recipients of this attempt, to convey not only information but also the famous flavour of the era. The perfume of the era that is the most difficult to visit in the knowledge of history.
We are celebrating 200 years since an event that was decisive for the existence of the new Hellenism. It does not only belong to the past. It continues to converse with the present and binds us for the future. The “timeless memory” of Mesolonghi, the Exodus, as Palamas writes, in the 100 years of the Exodus, is the greatest victory of the superhuman struggle of the Free Besieged. A struggle embodied by the undaunted garrison and the people of Messolonghi, who stood with dignity and an overwhelming reserve of mental fortitude. That is why they belong to the chorus of heroes.
Messolonghi passed into art, was praised by poets and acquired a timeless dimension by conversing with the superior. How much freedom, ladies and gentlemen, can be contained in a few words? “Freedom or death”. In Messolonghi, these words became flesh and blood. They expressed the conscientious choice of unselfish people to live free or die free.
As Kolokotronis wrote, “we lost gloriously at Messolonghi”. And the adverb is much stronger than the verb. “Endoxos” has a stronger meaning than the verb. And as someone else has said, the exiles of Mesolonghi were losers in life, but winners in their confrontation with history.
We are aware of the merciless bombings, the deprivations, the illnesses and the exhausting hunger. We know that in the end it was only the lack of food that made Messolonghi weak. But not its soul. It was never broken; it was raised and turned into an international symbol.
History is written not only by the few, but by the many – by ordinary people who, in the hour of trial, choose to stand up, united, at the height of their responsibility. They are those who, even when everything around them is falling apart, keep fighting, not because they are unaware of the end, but because they see beyond it.
This is how the history of Messolonghi was written. The work of its resistance was perhaps the most glorious military achievement of the Revolution, a climactic moment that highlighted the meaning of the disobedient soul and spread it across borders, in Europe at that time and in time to this day, shaping consciences and inspiring peoples.
And that is why the Greeks were not alone. A few days after the terrible night of the Exodus, at night again, in Paris, outside the Royal Palace, hundreds of French students marched to King Charles of France and asked him, inspired by the tragedy of Mesolongi, to help liberate Greece.
Many foreigners joined their cause, moved by the magnitude of the sacrifice. The Exodus echoed throughout Europe and caused many to rise up in support of the Greek cause. Something similar but far more powerful than the effect of the Chios disaster four years before the Exodus.
So it became a force that changed history. So sacrifice became victory. “I gave everything for Greece, now I give my life to her”, were Lord Byron’s last words and this attitude became part of a wider movement. Philhellenism emerged as a global force, mobilizing people and deeply touching the societies of the time.
Two centuries later, we stand before this memory not only to honour it, but also to reckon with it. We honour those who, with blood and self-denial, gave us freedom and raised up a model, unparalleled, of a fighting spirit.
Messolonghi inspires and guides us today, showing us that in demanding times, courage and self-denial allow us to overcome difficulties. Because beyond everyday life there is a deeper attitude to life, defined by the purity and the purity of ideals, to the height of which it is worth raising our lives, so that we go “beyond our honor and conviction” and win in the contests of tomorrow.
And this “winning” in this great showdown of Exodus need not be extolled by troopers of empty talk. It needs to be extolled with austerity, with docility, with heartbreak and with unending admiration.
So let Mesolongi be a lasting example for all of us and let us enjoy the glorious exhibition that awaits us.”
