Iro Konstantopoulou

The statue of Iro Konstantopoulou was created by the Greek sculptor and engraver Nikolaos Pavlopoulos. Young Iro is depicted in the full-length marble sculpture moving lightly, her head heroically high and her hands close to her protruding chest, as if awaiting her execution proudly, fearlessly and unwaveringly. In addition, on her feet there is a marble child's doll that serves as a reminder of her young age, while on the marble base, in addition to the details of the identity of the depicted person, the following phrase is engraved: “I am dying now that it is dawn, but it is worth exchanging my youth for the freedom of Greece”. During the period of the Occupation, Iro Konstantopoulou joined the United Panhellenic Organization of Youth (EPON) from her teenage year and was very active during the resistance despite her young age. On September 5th, 1944, at the age of 17, she was taken to the shooting range of Kaisariani where she was executed by the German occupiers. In 1977, the heroine was honoured posthumously with an award for her supreme sacrifice by the Academy of Athens, while in 1981, her life was brought to the big screen by Nikos Foskolos.