Municipal Cemetery of Saint George at Hermoupolis. An open Museum of Greek sculpture of the 19th century

The funerary Sculptures of Saint George’s Churchyard at Hermoupolis, Syros

After the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence in 1821, Greeks from various parts of the country that was under Turkish occupation were to find refuge on the island. With them came inhabitans of other centres of the Ottoman Empire  with flourishing Greek communities, such as Constantinople, Smyrna and  Kydonies. More specifically, in 1822, after the destruction of Chiow. Psara and the Asia Minor coast by the Sultan’s armies, the east coast of Syros attracted refugees from Crete and other parts of the Ottoman Empire because of the security provided by Austria and France and because of the protection of the Roman Catholics.

Thw coastal settlement was thus slowly formed; prominent amongst the settlers were Chian merchants, who engaged in commerce with many European cities. The new town that came into being was named Hermoupolis after the god Hermes, protector of the commerce; it was not long before it became an important maritime, industrial, commercial and cultural 19^th century centre of the modern Greek state.

This development is reflected in the grandiose buildings, both public and private, which were constructed during that period. Evidence of Hermoupolis’ wealth and affluence is St. George’s churchyard, which was founded in 1834 at the SW end of the town’s residencial areas.

The funerary monuments fall into two groups:

1. Mausoleums. They usually cover an area of 4x4m. and consist of “underground” or “overground” crypts surmounted by a marble funerary monument. This may have the form of a funerary stela, crowned by vases, crosses, busts etc.; a miniature temple in the ionic or doric order; a small byzantine chapel or a ciborium
2. Simple rectangular cists, covered by marble slabs, 2x1x0,10m., flush with the ground and decorated with reliefs and inscriptions.

 

Most monuments are the work of greek sculptors and bear the marks of classicism, an important school of art in Western Europe during the 18^th and 19^th centuries which greatly influenced Greek art and architecture in the 19^th century.

These Greek sculptors, mainly from the island of Tinos, were apprenticed in Aegean workshops; many were further trained abroad and founded workshops in Athens, Syra, Trieste, Constantinople, Smyrna etc.

The decorative elements (wreaths, angels, lamps, boats etc.) on the funerary monuments are full sculptures, reliefs or incised motifs. It is quite common to have scenes from the daily life of the deceased depicted on the graves, including representations of professional tools, sailing boats etc.

 

The monuments also bear inscriptions and epigrams in the metrical forms of ancient epigrams or popular Greek funeral songs. Here again, as in the decorative elements, the main source of inspiration is provided by the daily activities of the deceased. One gets the feeling that human beings will also be praised for their virtues in life after death. Most of these inscriptions have been composed by anonymous scholars and epigram-writers…

Buried in St. George’s churchyard are members of many important families, who had a prominent role both during the greek War of Independence as well as in the subsequent development of the modern Greek state: Mavrokordatos, Negrepontis, Petrokokkinos, Logonikos, Galatis, benakis, Antoniadis, Foustanos, Kouloukountis, Rethymnis, Vatis, Petritsis, krinos, Proiou, Rodokanakis are but a few of the names of these families…