Monument to Georgios Karaiskakis

Georgios Karaiskakis (1780/1782-1827) was a leading figure of the Greek Revolution, a klepht, an armatolos and a leading general of the War of Independence. In Karaiskaki Square, in Neo Faliro, there is a funerary monument/ossuary in honour of the great hero. The remains of Karaiskakis were transferred in 1835 from Salamis, where they had been temporarily buried and placed in a urn by a committee composed of his fellow fighters. The monument to Georgios Karaiskakis was the first to be erected in the Greek State in honour of the General during the reign of Otto. Three inscriptions are found on the monument; the first one is engraved in a niche, protected by a metal railing, and reads: “Here lies Karaiskakis, the strong defender of all Greeks, who died on the 23rd of April 1827 for the rule of law of his country”. On the upper part of the Monument’s façade is inscribed: “During the reign of King Otto, during the regency of Armansperg, Kobell and Heideck, the monument was erected in memory of Georgios Karaiskakis and his brave comrades who fought for the freedom of their faith and laws. The Secretaries of State, Ioannis Kolettis and Wilhelm Lesuire, were in charge of the inauguration”. Finally, on the back of the ossuary there is a reference to the battles of Keratsini, Kamateros, Arachova, Domvraini of Boeotia, Faliro, Piraeus, Distomo and Chaidari, in which Georgios Karaiskakis took part, as well as the names of his fallen comrades in the battle of Faliro.