200 years since the Exodus of Messolonghi: Projects and initiatives by the Ministry of Culture

In 2026, Greece will commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Exodus of Messolonghi, one of the most tragic and defining events of the Greek War of Independence.

The besieged defenders of the city—Greeks and Philhellenes—chose not to surrender but to make a heroic breakout attempt from the city walls, which ended in a widespread massacre and destruction. This dramatic event had a huge impact both in Greece and across Europe, stirring global emotion. Today, the Exodus is considered one of the most important milestones of the Greek Revolution, and it continues to resonate deeply.

Recognizing the importance of this historic anniversary, the Ministry of Culture has already planned a number of flagship projects and initiatives for the commemorative year.

Starting in 2024, work began on the “Restoration of the Garden of Heroes in the Sacred City of Messolonghi”, a project carried out in collaboration with the Antiquities Ephorates of Aetolia-Acarnania and Lefkada, the Directorate for the Conservation of Ancient and Modern Monuments, and the General Directorate of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage. The project is funded by the Operational Programme “Western Greece 2014–2020,” with a budget of €800,000, and is scheduled for completion by the end of 2026. Current restoration work includes repairs to the walls and fencing of the Garden, enhancement of the fountain inside the site, installation of bilingual information signs, digital tours via QR codes, and the creation of informational printed material (including Braille), along with other communication efforts.

The central event of the Ministry’s anniversary celebrations will be the temporary exhibition “The Exodus of Messolonghi on the Canvas of Delacroix”, to be held at the Xenokrates Archaeological Museum from mid-March to the end of November 2026. The exhibition will feature Eugène Delacroix’s iconic painting “Greece on the Ruins of Messolonghi,” which will be displayed outside France for the first time through a collaboration between the Ministry of Culture and the Museum of Fine Arts of Bordeaux. This painting personifies Greece amidst the ruins of Messolonghi and movingly encapsulates the dramatic events being commemorated.

In addition, the Xenokrates Museum will host two other emblematic artifacts of particular importance to Messolonghi in collaboration with the National Historical Museum:

• “The Daughter of Greece” (or “The Greek Girl”) by sculptor David d’Angers, which once adorned the tomb of Markos Botsaris in the Garden of Heroes, and
• The ceremonial uniform of Konstantinos Xenokratis, the only surviving uniform of a member of the Sacred Band. Xenokratis, a national benefactor originally from Eastern Thrace, built the Xenokrates building in the late 19th century to serve as a municipal girls’ school.

From mid-June 2025 to February 2026, the Xenokrates Museum will also host the traveling exhibition “A Melodic Journey through the Music of 1821,” designed and implemented by the Museum of Greek Folk Musical Instruments Phoebus Anoyanakis – Center for Ethnomusicology to mark 200 years since the Greek Revolution. This interactive exhibition explores folk music and its role in shaping national consciousness and identity.

Throughout 2026, the Xenokrates Museum will also host events, conferences, lectures, specially designed educational programs, and conservation workshops focused on themes inspired by the Exodus, Delacroix, “The Daughter of Greece,” printing and typography, and the Philhellene printer Johann Jakob Meyer.

At the beginning of 2026, in collaboration with the Association of Museum Educators of Greece, the museum will organize the literary conference “Meeting of Literary Museums in Messolonghi,” with participants from various institutions, including the museums of Ugo Foscolo, Solomos and Eminent Zakynthians, Grigorios Xenopoulos (Zakynthos), A. Sikelianos (Lefkada), Solomos (Corfu), Alexandros Papadiamantis (Skiathos), Nikos Kazantzakis (Heraklion), Georgios Drosinis (Athens), and the Lord Byron, Philhellenism, Palamas, and Trikoupis Family Museums (Messolonghi).

The 200th anniversary of the Exodus, along with all related celebrations, has officially been placed under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, following a request by the Municipality of the Sacred City of Messolonghi. The Ministry has also designated 2026 as the “Year of the Exodus of Messolonghi” and is providing financial support for selected municipal initiatives.