King Konstantinos the First
The bronze statue of King Konstantinos (Constantine) the 1st at Pedion tou Areos.
Modern and Contemporary era (1821 - )
1938 On October 9, the unveiling ceremony took place.
Ottoman era (1453- 1821)
Byzantine era (331 AC- 1453)
Roman era (30 BC- 330 AC)
Hellenistic era (322- 31 BC)
Classical era (478-323 BC)
Archaic era (800-479 BC)
Geometric era (-1100- 800 BC)
Prehistory (-1100 BC)
What I can see
The bronze statue of King Konstantinos (Constantine) the 1st (1868-1923) is 5.8 metres high and is positioned on an elliptical pedestal with six steps. The king is presented as a marshal on horseback. With his right hand, he holds the marshal’s baton, and with his left, the horse’s reins. The statue of Konstantinos faces to the opposite direction of the horse’s head, which gives balance to the work. On the left side of the saddle, the royal crown and the uppercase letter K are engraved.
What I can't see
Konstantinos the 1st was a controversial personality, has been associated with turbulent periods in Greek history (the Balkan wars, national division, Asia Minor Catastrophe) and was the head of the Greek army during the surrender of Thessaloniki to Greece by the Turks, on the 26th of October 1912, which temporarily overturned his unpopularity. The unveiling of his statue was thus accompanied by glorious celebrations across the country. The unveiling was attended by dictator Ioannis Metaxas as well as prominent members of the church, academia and the political class. The sculpture is a work by Franscesco Parisi (1874-1956). The architectural part is by another Italian, Constantino Vetriani.
Info
- Address: Pedion tou Areos
Bibliography
Gardika- Katsiadaki Ε. & Triza L. (ed.) (1993), Η Ελλάδα των Βαλκανικών Πολέμων, 1910-1914, [Greece of the Balkan Wars, 1910-1914], Literature and History Archive Company, Athens
Mavrogordatos G. T., (2003), Οι πολιτικές εξελίξεις, από το Γουδί ως τη Μικρασιατική Καταστροφή, [Political developments, from Goudi to Asia Minor Catastrophe], in Ιστορία του Νέου Ελληνισμού, 1770- 2000, , [History of modern Hellenism, 1770-2000], v.6, p.p. 9-17
