What I can see

Its common name is Allied War Cemetery or Paleo Faliro, although it is located in the municipality of Alimos. This is the cemetery of the forces that allied with Greece after the German invasion of the country in 1941 (WW2). Casualties from the Greek civil war are also buried here, as well as from the recent war in the former Yugoslavia. It is an austere cemetery but it also exudes monumentality. Unlike other cemeteries, it does not have high stone fences. The space is amphitheatrical with its gravestones facing towards the sea, a position made as a gesture of honour by the Greek State to the dead. It is divided into four sections, depending on the origin of the dead. Each tomb has the national emblem of the country of origin and the name, rank of the soldier and their symbol of religious faith. The entrance resembles an ancient edifice and the plates on either side carry the names of the 2,882 soldiers whose remains were never found. Next to this so-called “Athens Memorial”, is the “Stone of Remembrance,” a work by Sir Edwin Lytyens, which resembles a sarcophagus and bears the inscription “Their Name Liveth for Evermore”. At the top, a “Cross of Sacrifice” made of marble has a bronze sword at the front, a symbol of the military status of the dead.

What I can't see

Before it became a cemetery for the allied forces, there were very few graves here from the time of the Crimean war. The 2,067 buried soldiers, especially those from WWII, came from England, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and other countries of the former British Commonwealth. The architectural design of the cemetery was by the French-Canadian architect Louis de Soissons. The day of remembrance for the dead allies is the first Sunday of November.

Info

• Address: 8 Poseidonos Av.

Bibliography