Commemorations for the 200th anniversary of the Heroic Exodus of the “Free Besieged” reached their peak today, Palm Sunday (April 5), for Greek Orthodox faithful in Messolonghi, with France honored as this year’s guest nation.
Religious ceremonies began at 7:00 a.m. at the Metropolitan Church of Saint Spyridon, where a solemn multi-hierarchical Divine Liturgy was held, led by Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Chalkida. At 10:20 a.m., a doxology service took place in the presence of the President of the Hellenic Republic, Konstantinos Tasoulas.
At 11:00 a.m., a procession departed from the cathedral toward the Garden of Heroes, where a memorial service was conducted. This was followed by wreath-laying at the Tomb of the Heroes and the delivery of the official commemorative address by a government representative.
The program continued with the awarding of winners of the “Sacrifice Run,” while soprano Vivian Douglas performed the lament “Long Live Messolonghi,” accompanied by the Municipal Choir. At 14:00, sacred relics were transferred from the Garden of Heroes to the Museum of History and Art, and at 18:00, the Icon of the Exodus is scheduled to return in procession to the museum’s ceremonial hall.
Political Leadership in Attendance
Greece’s political leadership was out in full force. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis arrived shortly after 10:00 a.m.
Among those attending were Defense Minister, Nikos Dendias, PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis, and the president of SYRIZA Sokratis Famellos.
Famellos described the Exodus as “a unique moment in history, etched into the consciousness of global Hellenism and humanity at large.” He invoked the words of Kostis Palamas, who once called Messolonghi a “joy of history and promised land,” underscoring the enduring moral weight of the sacrifice.
“The heroism, courage, and self-sacrifice of the Free Besieged stand as a pledge to universal values—life, freedom, and dignity—and to a shared vision of a society that looks forward,” Famellos noted.
In a social media post, defense minister Dendias wrote: “At dawn on Palm Sunday, the Free Besieged chose the ultimate sacrifice.”
