by Asimina Stathopoulou, APE Country Manager for Greece
The exhibition From Messolonghi to Aegina, hosted at the historic Kapodistrian Orphanage of Aegina from the 24 January to 28 February 2026, sheds a light on unseen aspects of the period of Kapodistrian governance. Specifically, it highlights the bond between Aegina, the first capital of the State, and the "long-suffering" City of Messolonghi. Visitors to the exhibition will have the opportunity to discover the journey of the inhabitants and defenders of Messolonghi who survived their heroic Exodus (10 April 1826) and took refuge on the island of Aegina. Using this place as a springboard, the first governor, Ioannis Kapodistrias, from January 1828, with clever strategic moves and astute political decisions, achieved the liberation of Messolonghi from the Ottomans on the 3rd May 1829, and laid the foundations for the restoration and reconstruction of both the sacred city of Messolonghi and the city of Aegina as the first capital. Through rare evidence, the refugees' struggle for survival, the diplomatic and military struggle for liberation, and finally, the titanic task of rebuilding a symbolic city are brought to light.
If you cannot make it to the exhibition, here are some very interesting excerpts:
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Treaty between Moustafaga, Cretan representative of the fortress of Messolonghi and Anatoliko, and Georgios Varnakiotis and Ioannis Paparigopoulos, with the terms of surrender of Messolonghi and Anatoliko. It bears the signatures and seals of the Ottomans. Messolonghi, May 2, 1829. GAK-Central Service, Vlachogiannis Collection, Catalog A, f. 118
Historical map of Aegina with a timeline of events from the revolutionary period. Among other incidents, it refers to the arrival of General Church and Admiral Lord Cochrane, (1826), the opening of the Assembly under Zaïmis,the designation of Aegina as the capital of the government (1827), and the arrival of Governor Ioannis Kapodistrias (1828). From the work of Russian philhellene Ioannis Petrov, "Atlas of the Holy Struggle for Independence of the Greeks, 1821-1828.", Leipzig, 1887. GAK - Central Service, Small Collections K, Ioannis Petrov Archive (K76b)
Historical map of Messolonghi with a timeline of events from the revolutionary period. Among other things, it refers to the declaration of the Revolution in Messolonghi (May 20, 1821), the siege of the city by Omer Vryonis, the arrival of Lord Byron (1823) and his death (1825), the supply of food to the city by Miaoulis and Sachtouris (1825, 1826), the siege by Ibrahim (1826), the exodus of the people of Messolonghi (1826), and the surrender of Messolonghi to Greece (1829). Also from Ioannis Petrov, "Atlas of the Holy Struggle for Independence of the Greeks, 1821-1828."
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Decision No. 12449 by Ioannis Kapodistrias concerning: a) The celebration of a memorial service for the repose of the souls of the heroic defenders of the city of Messolonghi; b) Compiling a list of victims of the siege of Messolonghi in 1822, 1823, 1825, and 1826.; c) Collecting the remains of the dead and determining where they will be laid to rest.; d) Visiting Messolonghi to attend the grand funeral procession.; e) Inviting fellow architects and stonemasons to submit designs for the monument to the heroes of Messolonghi. Aegina, May 14, 1829. GAK-Central Service, file of the Proxy Administrator, f. 6a
