© 2019 Snapping the Globe, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
Athens is a place where historical landmarks are a dime a dozen.
The Acropolis, Temple of Zeus, Hadrian’s Arch (to name a few)…you can take you pick of so many to fill your time while visiting the ancient city.
Since I’ve been to most of these places, I was on the lookout for something different. Thinking back on my visit to the Keremeikos Ancient Cemetery, I realized that there had to be more modern cemeteries within the city, much like those of Paris (Pere Lachaise), Milan (Monumentale) and Buenos Aires (La Recoleta).
After conducting a bit of research, I discovered that the official cemetery of the City of Athens dates back to 1837. A prestigious burial place sought out by both Greeks and foreigners, it was the first to be built within the city’s limits and located not far from the Panathenaic Stadium.
Setting out in the warm, sunny afternoon, I made the journey quickly and soon found myself at the top end of Anapafseos Street.
Admittedly, the entrance to the cemetery was a bit disappointing as it is scaffolded, presently under construction. One inside, however, I was greeted immediately on my left with one of the cemetery’s three churches, the Church of Saint Theodores (the other two being Saint Lazarus and Saint Charles). Though the church was not open, I enjoyed its blue painted architecture and single slim belltower standing tall in the bright afternoon.
Making my way through the more elaborate tombs located in the forefront of the cemetery, I admired those of Heinrich Schliemann, German businessman and archaeological excavator of the cities of Troy, Mycenae and Tiryns, Ioannis Pesmazoglou, Greek banker, economist and politician and Georgios Averoff, businessman, philanthropist and one of the great national benefactors of Greece.
Making the steep walk towards the rear of the cemetery, I was in search of something special…the tomb with the famous sculpture of a dead young girl called I Koimomeni (“The Sleeping Girl”), created by Yannoulis Chalepas. A bit of exploration was in order, as there are others that appeared to be very similar. I soon found the serene sculpture immortalized by sculptor Chalepas and wondered about her fate. It was later that I learned that the sleeping girl, Sophia Afentaki, was born in 1855 and died of tuberculosis at the age of 18 years.
Continuing my exploration, I was saddened by the overgrown condition of many parts of the cemetery and took extra time to pay respects to many of the graves in the area. Many of the graves and tombs were obviously quite expensive and many housed the remains of many members of Greek families and on the opposite end of the spectrum, there were also many grave sites that were quite modest.
Winding my way deeper and deeper into the cemeteries bounds, I discovered unique sculpture, touching mementos, fresh and dying flowers, distinctly crafted lanterns and fading photos. What I didn’t encounter, however, were other visitors. The cemetery was perfectly empty and quiet.
After a while, the peace and quiet became quite disconcerting. Realizing that I was probably a bit vulnerable, alone in a cemetery, even in the daylight, I decided to head back to the front of the graveyard, passing the burial areas reserved for Protestants and Jews.
The Cemetery of Athens was a unique experience, one that most tourists do not search out despite it’s historical and cultural significance. Though I did see a couple of other tourists in the beginning of my visit seeking out some of the famous grave sites, there were not many others that I ran across.
If it is historical or architectural significance that you seek or a desire to search out some of the famous grave sites, take a trip to the First Cemetery of Athens, a peaceful haven that will not disappoint.
For more pictures, check out Facebook, Snapping the Globe and Instagram, @snappingtheglobe.
First Cemetery of Athens
- Address: Logginou 3, Athina 116 36, Greece
- Hours: 0800-2000, daily
- Admission: free
Notable Burials within the First Cemetery of Athens:
- Archbishops Christodoulos, Chrysostomos II, Seraphim and Dorotheus
- Hero of Greek War of Independence, Odysseas Androutsos
- Singers, Sotiria Bellou, Stratos Dionysiou, Stelios Kazantzidis, Dimitros Mitropanos, Demis Roussos, Rita Sakellariou, Sofia Vembo, Nikos Xilouris (and composer)
- Poets, Odysseas Elytis, Nikos Kavvadias, Kostis Palamas, Kostis Palamas, Alexandros Rizos Rangavis, Giorgos Seferis, Angelos Sikelianos, Alexandros Panagoulis (and politician, democracy activist)
- Actors, Jules Dassin, Dimitris Horn, Manos Katrakis, Vassillis Logothetidis, Orestis Makris, Thanasis Veggos, Jules Dassin ( and director), Dimitris Papamichael (and director)
- Actresses, Tzeni Karezi, Marika Kotopouli, Ellie Lambeti, Zoe Laskari, Katina Paxinou, Aliki Vougiouklaki
- Prime Ministers, Georgios Kafantaris, Andreas Papandreou, George Papandreou, Charilaos Trikoupis, Xenophon Zolotas
- Politicians, Theodoros Kolokotronis, Alexandros Mavrokordatos, Melina Mercouri, Andreas Michalakopoulos, Grigoris Lambrakis, Nikolaos Bourandas (Police and Fire Service General), Yannis Makriyannis (and merchant, military officer author), Nikos Zachariadis (General Secretary of the Communist Party of Greece from 1931 to 1956)
- Sculptor, Yannoulis Chalepas
- Philanthropist and businessman, George Averoff
- Painter, Demetrios Farmakopoulos
- Archaeologist, Adolf Furtwangler
- Filmmaker, Humphrey Jennings
- Statesman, Dimitrios Kallergis
- Conductor, Pianist and Composer, Dimitri Mitropoulos,
- University of Athens’ Greatest Benefactor, Antonios Papadakis
- Military Dictator during the Regime of the Colonels, Georgios Papadopoulos
- Lawyer, Alexandros Papanastasiou
- Director, Screenwriter and Lyricist,Alekos Sakellarios
- Feminist, Kalliroi Parren
- Amateur Archaeologist who excavated the site of Troy, Heinrich Schliemann
- Great Benefactor of Greece, Michael Tositsas
- Composer, Vassilis Tsitsanis
- Founder of Filiki Eteria, Emmanuil Xanthos
- Member of Filiki Eteria, Ioannis Varvakis
- Author, T.H. White
- Architect, Ernst Ziller