Missolonghi - Sacred City: 200 Years Since the Exodus (1/2)

In 2026, 200 years are completed since the Exodus of Missolonghi, on April 10, 1826, an emblematic moment of the Greek Revolution—an event that shaped the course of the struggle and became a symbol of humanity’s fight for freedom and dignity. The long siege and the tragic outcome of the Exodus established Missolonghi as a point of reference for ideals and universal values that transcend the boundaries of our national history.

Message by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Yiannis Loverdos

In 2021, we celebrated 200 years since the outbreak of the Greek Revolution, a struggle that achieved a successful outcome because it was a blend of heart and reflection. As historian Mark Mazower notes, the success of the Greek struggle was due not only to epic moments of bravery and acts of courage, but primarily to the endurance and sacrifice of ordinary people. The Exodus of Missolonghi is an emblematic expression of this dimension—the choice of freedom over submission—and embodies a new political vision that places sacrifice at the forefront as a contribution to forging a national society.

Missolonghi, the Garden of the Heroes (photo: www.discovergreece.com2-best-things-do-messolongi)

The history of Missolonghi begins as early as antiquity, and the city is geographically connected with the wider region of ancient Aetolia, where ancient Pleuron was located, mentioned by Homer in the Iliad. The founding of the modern city of Missolonghi most likely dates back to the post-Byzantine period. In the 16th century, in texts related to the Battle of Lepanto, Missolonghi is mentioned as an area of fish farms and small fishing settlements. During the 18th century, the settlements of the Missolonghi lagoon developed into a notable naval and commercial center, where significant shipbuilding activity took place, contributing to the city’s economic growth. The failed uprising of the Greeks in 1770, within the framework of the campaign of the Russian admiral Orlov, proved disastrous: the settlement of Missolonghi was set on fire, a large part of the fleet was destroyed, and the inhabitants were forced to abandon their homes and seek refuge in the Ionian Islands. After the destruction of 1770, the city was gradually rebuilt, and economic growth and maritime activity followed.

With the Revolution of 1821, Missolonghi assumed a central role in Western Central Greece. The presence of Alexandros Mavrokordatos was decisive in shaping institutions and administration, while the elected leader of the Missolonghiots, Athanasios Razis-Kotsikas, contributed substantially to the fortification of the city and its military preparation. Through this duality of political presence and local military leadership, Missolonghi capitalized on its strategic position—which allowed it to control western Central Greece and access to the Gulf of Patras—and was transformed into a crucial factor in the outcome of the struggle.

Vryzakis Theodoros (1814 or 1819 – 1878), The Reception of Lord Byron at Missolonghi, 1861, Oil on canvas, 155 x 213 cm, Athens National Gallery

Philhellenes from many countries rushed to Missolonghi as early as 1821. Among them were the German Karl Albert Normann (1784, Stuttgart – 1822, Missolonghi), the Swiss Johann Jakob Meyer (1798 Zürich – 11 April 1826, Missolonghi), publisher of the Ellinika Chronika—and the British William Parry, as well as numerous volunteers from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Sweden, and the United States. In 1824, Lord Byron arrived in Missolonghi; he collaborated with Mavrokordatos and contributed to the struggle not only by providing financial support but also by rekindling international interest.

Frédéric Boissonnas (1858–1946), Sieges of Missolonghi (1926), photolithograph, National Historical Museum. This piece is a reproduction of a famous painting originally commissioned by the Greek General Yannis Makriyannis between 1836 and 1839. The original series was painted by Panagiotis Zografos, a folk artist and veteran of the revolution, under Makriyannis’s specific instructions to document the struggle for independence

In 1822, Missolonghi was besieged for the first time by Kioutachis and Omer Vryonis, but after two months the Ottomans, having suffered heavy losses, were forced to withdraw. Three years later, the Sultan once again assigned Kioutachis to capture the city, coordinating his actions with Ibrahim Pasha’s campaign in the Peloponnese. The second siege began on April 15, 1825, when Kioutachis returned under the Sultan’s orders. In December 1825, Ibrahim Pasha arrived in Missolonghi and took over the direction of the siege, which was organized more systematically, making the blockade suffocating. The prolonged siege, deprivation, and famine had exhausted the approximately 10,000 inhabitants and fighters, who nevertheless continued to reject Kioutachis’s repeated proposals for surrender. Ultimately, the people of Missolonghi decided on the Exodus, planned for the night of Lazarus Saturday into the early hours of Palm Sunday, April 10, 1826. That dramatic moment has been captured in modern Greek literature—among others in Isidoros Zourgos’s novel Aidonopita—and remains to this day a symbol of ultimate sacrifice.

Vryzakis Theodoros (1814 or 1819 – 1878), The Exodus from Missolonghi, 1853, Oil on canvas, 169 x 127 cm, Athens National Gallery

François-Émile de Lansac (1803-1890), Episode of the siege of Missolonghi (1827), Missolonghi Municipal Gallery

The testimonies regarding the consequences of the Exodus are shocking. The Austrian consul in Patras, Vincenzo Micarelli, reported a number of 3,100 “ears” collected by the Ottomans—a practice that provoked horror in European public opinion. The fall of Missolonghi acted as a catalyst for strengthening the philhellenic movement. When the tragic news of the Exodus reached Paris, the reaction was intense and influenced European governments, contributing to a shift in the policy of the Great Powers and to the convergence that led to the Battle of Navarino. The fall of Missolonghi was not the end, but the beginning of a new European awakening in favor of Greek independence. As the national poet Dionysios Solomos notes in The Free Besieged, this small “threshing floor” became a symbol that transcended its historical moment and passed into eternity.

Manuscript of the Greek national poet, Dionysios Solomos from “The Free Besieged”. Inspired by this crucial conflict of the Greek War of Independence, it is considered one of the greatest poems of Dionysios Solomos, “the greatest Greek poem ever written” in the words of Bruce Merry. It is an epic unfinished work, which consists of three separate poems in fragmentary form, written in a period of more than twenty years. The Free Besieged does not have a continuous narrative, but consists of a series of scenes and glimpses that occurred during the last days of the siege. The central theme, according to Solomos’ notes, is the defenders’ power of the will, which is tested by a number of afflictions. Indeed, apart from the armed conflicts, the defenders also had to undergo a spiritual struggle against those that threaten to weaken their resistance. It was not only their physical condition of starvation and destitution, but also the far more subtle and insidious effect on them of the spell cast by nature itself: the work is set in the last days of the siege, just before the Easter of 1826, during springtime, and two of its sections are dedicated to the beauty of spring. The besieged, according to Solomos, become truly free because of their spiritual victory over all their trials. This was described by the poet as an inner freedom of the will.

Two hundred years later, the Sacred City of Missolonghi honors the memory of self-sacrifice, reflects on its identity, and highlights its contemporary dynamism, remaining a place of memory and inspiration for future generations.