What I can see

The bronze statue of Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Smyrna (Izmir) is a work by Thanasis Apartis. It is 2.8m high and is located on two marble bases with a total height of 1.72m. It is a realistic and simple sculpture with an imposing style. The form of the cassock highlights the historical symbolisms and is not a descriptive part of the sculpture, but a functional one.

What I can't see

Chrysostomos (1867-1922) is one of the emblematic figures of the Asia Minor Catastrophe. He was a very active priest, with rich social work but also a strong presence in the defense and protection of the Greek population of Macedonia and Asia Minor. His growing popularity and international recognition alarmed the Sultan. During the years that Smyrna (Izmir) was under Greek administration (1919-1922), he was considered the patriarch of the Greeks of Asia Minor. With the recapture and destruction of the city by the Turks, Chrysostomos refused to abandon his people, even though the Great Powers had offered him a safe escape. After his arrest, he was summarily convicted of philhellenism, and the Turkish authorities handed him over to the Turkish mob that lynched him, blinded him, dismembered him, and dragged his dead body around the city.

Info

• Address: Ag. Sophias & Ermou St.

Bibliography