The events marking the 190th anniversary of the 3rd National Assembly of 1827 culminated splendidly – and in presence of the President of the Republic, Prokopis Pavlopoulos, and His Eminence Metropolitan Ephraim of Hydra, Spetses, Aegina, Ermionida and Troezen – on Sunday, 12 March 2017, in Ermioni. The 3rd National Assembly of 1827 was held at Ermioni and is an important historical event, as it sent the great national message of the unity of all Greeks in their support for the continuation of the Struggle to liberate our homeland, marking the creation of the new Greek state.

A timeless message, as noted by the President of the Republic in his short welcome address: “The messages of the representatives to our 3rd National Assembly inspire us and will continue to inspire us. The history of our nation and our people has shown that, unified, we have met major and important challenges successfully, while division has given rise to blows even to the very core of our nation.”

The events marking the anniversary of the 3rd National Assembly of 1827 began on Saturday, 11 March 2017 – with a speech by Dr. Panagiotis Pyrpyris, Philologists’ School Advisor, on the long, difficult and heroic course of Theodoros Kolokotronis’s life and his contribution to the 3rd National Assembly of Ermioni – at the Ermioni Cultural Centre, and culminated, on Sunday, with the President of the Republic’s visit to the town.

Sunday’s events started with the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at the Metropolitan Church of the Archangels, which was officiated by His Eminence Metropolitan Ephraim of Hydra, Spetses, Aegina, Ermionida and Troezen, and attended by the President of the Republic, his wife, Mrs. Sissy Pavlopoulou, the Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff, Admiral Evangelos Apostolakis, and his wife, Despina Apostolaki, as well as by other representatives of the Armed Forces, politicians, leaders of the local community, and residents of the town. Also present was Mr. Vardis Vardinoyannis and his wife, Mrs. Marianna V. Vardinoyannis, who hails from Ermioni. Shortly before Mr. Pavlopoulos’s arrival, the residents of Ermioni warmly welcomed Mr. And Mrs. Vardinoyannis, awakening in Mrs. Vardinoyannis happy memories of her school years, as the current Town Hall was her old school.

The President of the Republic subsequently unveiled the commemorative marble plaque at the building where the 3rd National Assembly met in 1827, and he was then taken on a guided tour of the building, now the Ermioni Museum of History and Folklore, by the President of the Museum, Tina Antonopoulou.

This was followed by a memorial service at the Monument to Ermioni’s Fallen, where the President of the Republic laid a wreath.

Immediately afterwards, the President of the Republic and his wife, Mrs. Sissy Pavlopoulou, visited the family home of Mrs. Marianna V. Vardinoyannis, the Giorgos and Evangelia Bournakis residence, a neoclassical building that retains its local traditional character. Mrs. Vardinoyannis thanked the President of the Republic and his wife for the great honour of their visit to her family home and remarked upon the poignancy of returning to her home town of Ermioni, being close to her fellow townspeople, and in particular witnessing historic and symbolic events like those commemorating the 3rd National Assembly of 1827.

The President of the Republic then went to Ermioni’s City Hall, where the Mayor of Ermionida, Mr. Dimitris Sfyris, declared him an Honorary Citizen of Ermionida, giving him the Gold Key to the City. In his remarks, the President of the Republic thanked the Municipality of Ermionida for the honour bestowed upon him and spoke of Ermioni’s contribution to the liberation of our homeland, while he did not omit to refer to Mr. Vardis Vardinoyannis and his wife, Marianna, saying: “Allow me to make mention of Vardis and Marianna Vardinoyannis, because it was from this place, Marianna’s home town, that a young couple began a career that we all know about. May God keep them, and may they remember their roots.”

The President of the Republic and his wife were taken on a tour of the whole town: They paid their respects at the historic Monastery of Agioi Anargyroi, they visited the town’s Cultural Centre and took commemorative photographs with the local schoolchildren and community leaders.

The events celebrating the 190th anniversary of the 3rd National Assembly of 1827 were organized in collaboration with the Municipality of Ermionida, the local Church, the Ermioni Association and the Ermioni Museum of History and Folklore, within the framework of the establishment of the 2nd Sunday of every March as the day of commemoration of the historic 3rd National Assembly of 1827.