The inauguration of an exhibition dedicated to American Philhellenes - supporters of Greek independence - was held on Wednesday at the recently established Museum of Philhellenism in Athens - an event and museum foundation that coincides with this year's bicentennial of the commencement of the Greek Revolution of 1821.
The inauguration was attended Deputy FM Costas Vlassis and Deputy DM Alcibiades Stefanis, representing the Greek government, with US ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt and local government and municipal office-holders also present.
The founder of the museum, Constantinos Velentzas, who is also the president of the Society for Hellenism and Philhellenism, provided a guided tour of the exhibitions, dedicated to the roughly 1,500 philhellenes who fought in the Greek War of Independence and to the supporters of the liberation struggle from around the world in the early 19th century.
The museum features some 2,500 objects of art, books and rare manuscripts-documents from the era. The museum also retains one of the largest collections of works of arts related to Lord Byron, and a thematic collection of portraits of American Philhellenes.
