French actress Fanny Ardant recited poetry by Greek national poet Dionysios Solomos, French writer Victor Hugo and British poet Lord Byron at the Garden of Heroes in Messolonghi on Saturday, October 10, in an event marking 200 years since the Exodus of Messolonghi and commemorating the struggle for freedom.
The Athens Epidaurus Festival organised the event in collaboration with the Municipality of the Sacred City of Messolonghi and the French Institute of Greece, under the auspices of the French Embassy in Greece.
The audience gave Ardant an emotional round of applause as she recited excerpts in French from Solomos’ The Free Besieged, Hugo’s poem Les Têtes du sérail and Byron’s words before his death:
“I gave Greece
My time,
My health,
My fortune,
And now I give her
My life.”
The event’s dramatic journey connected the statue of Solomos with the Tomb of the Unknown Fallen, the Lord Byron monument and the grave of Markos Botsaris. It also included a stop at the monument commemorating the French fighters who died in Messolonghi.
Writer and cultural producer Giorgos Archimandritis curated the content, while Michail Marmarinos oversaw the artistic direction.
Greece and France commemorate shared history
Speakers highlighted the historic ties between Greece and France and the anniversary’s contemporary significance.
Messolonghi Deputy Mayor Nikolaos Papanikolaou welcomed the guests and emphasised the international significance of the city’s sacrifice, declaring: “Here, the history of the city meets the history of Europe.”
Before the event began, French Ambassador to Greece Nicolas Kassianides laid a wreath at the monument to the French fighters.
In his address, Kassianides highlighted the European impact of Messolonghi’s sacrifice and its relevance today. He stressed that “freedom and democratic values are never definitively secured” and emphasised culture’s essential role in passing these values on to future generations.
“Freedom can become a common cause,” he said.
Marmarinos, director and artistic director of the Athens Epidaurus Festival, underscored the power of art with a brief introduction: “This is what art does. It brings people together from everywhere. For good.”
He also spoke about his personal connection to Messolonghi and the continuing presence of Philhellenism in the city.
Conductor and artistic director of the Messolonghi Municipal Conservatory Spyros Cholevas coordinated the event.
Cultural initiative extends the festival beyond its traditional venues
The event drew inspiration from the cultural programme Greece and France in the 19th Century, which the Hellenic Foundation for Culture organised in Paris in collaboration with the Sorbonne University’s Department of Greek Studies and the Delphys cultural association. The programme marked the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution and originated as an initiative by Archimandritis, a writer, creator of arts and culture radio documentaries, and doctor of comparative literature at the Sorbonne who previously served as the Hellenic Foundation for Culture’s cultural ambassador in Paris.
Ardant’s appearance in Messolonghi forms part of the Athens Epidaurus Festival’s new initiative, EXODUS (Beyond the Walls), which expands the festival’s activities beyond its established venues.
Through this initiative, the festival takes its programme directly to audiences, activates different locations throughout the city and creates new opportunities for artistic encounters.
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