HISTORY and ARTS

Zakynthos is an island with a rich history, and a story painted with its fair share of blood. From the archaeological finds discovered here we know that the island was inhabited as far back as Paleolithic times.

The island's first name was “YRIA”. The name “Zakynthos” was given to the island by its first king “Zakynthos”. Odysseus, the legendary King of Ithaki, also ruled the island. The Mycenaean civilization thrived on the island, and the first town “Psofida” was founded on the hill now known as Bohali. The severe earthquakes and pillaging that this island suffered wiped out the Mycenaean civilization. All that is left as a reminder of that era are the Mycenaean tombs.
The Zakynthians founded colonies in different areas; the best known of these was Sagoundo in Spain, which is now known as Mourviedo.
They were conquered by the Athenian fleets, but later fought on the side of the Athenians during the Peloponnesian War. For this they were severely punished by the Spartans.

The Zakynthians came under attack by Phillip of Macedonia, and later were conquered by the Romans. The Goths arrived in the 2nd and 3rd Century AD pillaging and slaughtering anyone they found before them. In 466 AD the island was devastated by the Vandal tyrant Yeziriho, it was liberated by Bellissariao and returned to the hands of the Romans, ending up under the rule of the Byzantine Empire.

From the 12 th Century, the Royal Families of Orsini and Di Tocchi ruled Zakynthos.
In 1479 the island was completely destroyed by the Turkish invasions. In 1485 Zakynthos was under the rule of the Venetians until 1797 when the French Democrats came and took over the island. Rule passed to the Russians in 1798 until 1800 when the Ionian Islands developed their own state. The British were the last to rule the island; they were here from 1815 until 1864, when Zakynthos united with the rest of Greece.

Many Zakynthians have fought against Turkey in Cyprus, in Crete, in Mani and took part in the Greek Revolution against Turkey; here the flame was lit for the Greek Revolution of 1821. In Zakynthos in 1818 Theodore Kolokotroni together with other members of the ‘Filiki Eteria’ (Friendly Society) gave an oath to liberate Greece from Turkey.

ARCHITECTURAL TREASURES

“Little Florence” was the way the Venetians referred to Zakynthos Town. This was because of its elegant buildings and its architecture, which had a deep western influence, which came mainly from Italy.

European architects, with clear western tendencies, designed the public buildings and manors. The rest of the buildings have an architecture which has a strong influence not only from Italy but from Greece and Crete.

Old Zakynthos was made up of countless stone buildings, with roofs of wood and tiles (three rows on top of each other on the overhang) and sculpted decorative pieces over the doorways and windows.
Wrought iron was widely used for internal spiral staircases and outside for balcony railings and gates. There was a time in the history of Zakynthos where there were approximately 500 churches and monasteries and over 100 manors.

PAINTING

Zakynthos was once home to a variety of well known artists who created brilliant works of art, it is also where the Eptanisian (Ionian) School of Art was founded.

Zakynthian art was influenced by many other places, especially Crete, the Byzantine style of art and the Italian Renaissance, which had clear elements of naturalism and later of Italian Baroque. The paintings of the Zakynthian artists gave richness to hagiographies, portraits and landscapes, which concentrated on the natural beauty of the island.

The main representatives of Zakynthian art are Tzanes, Klodzas, Aggelos, Viktoras, Moscos, Doxaras, Kadounis, Koutouzis, Griparis Pelekasis, Kallergis and Koreis

THEATRE

In Zakynthos there were approximately fifteen theatrical stages, where you could enjoy performances of great plays, with well-known musicians and actors of the time.

It was Zakynthos that saw the early works of the first three comedy writers of modern Greece, Ioannis Kantounis, Ioannis Gouselis and Soumerlis, the first professional female singer Isabella Yiatra, and Aikaterini Viagini the first Greek actress to perform on stage in 1820.

The father of modern professional acting Dionisis Tavoularis was born in Zakynthos, as was Pavlos Karrer the first Modern Greek composer of opera, the playwrights Martzokis, Kapnisis, Zervos and Matesis, and the theatrical ‘giants’ Grigorio Xenopoulo and Dionisio Roma.

POETRY AND LITERATURE

There is no other place in Greece that has seen the birth of so many famous poets and writers of literature, than Zakynthos.

Dionisis Solomos, National poet of Greece.

Andreas Kalvos, famous for his patriotism.

Hugo Foskolos, was one of the greatest poets of all time.

Moutsan Martinegkou, the only female literary of that time.

Before the time of Solomos there were the literates Andreas Sgouros, Antonis Martelaos, and Nicholas Kontouzis.

In modern times there were the works of Tsagasianos, Biskinis, Dionisis Romas and Gregoris Xenopoulos.

Programme

• The excursion will take you back in time to a Zakynthos of old.
• Visit the Historical Museum of Zakynthos
• Visit the town’s castle
• Visit Myceanan tombs
• Visit old manors
• Visit the Public Library
• Visit pre-earthquake villages