INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

“200 Years since the Exodus of Messolonghi: History, Memory, Legacy”

Sacred City of Messolonghi, 1–4 October 2026

In 1826, a city chose to break out through its walls rather than surrender. Two hundred years later, the Exodus of Messolonghi has never stopped speaking in Greece, and far beyond it.

To honour this anniversary, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, in collaboration with the University of Patras and the Municipality of the Sacred City of Messolonghi, is organising an international scholarly conference that aspires to be more than an academic gathering: a meeting between the world and Messolonghi, in the very place where this history was written.

Researchers from more than twenty countries across five continents, from Italy, France, Spain and Portugal to Germany, Sweden, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria and Russia, and further still, to Egypt, India, Brazil and China, will spend three days composing a mosaic of how the sacrifice of Messolonghi travelled, was translated, inspired, and continues to activate memory.

The conference will open with a keynote lecture by the poet Pantelis Boukalas, born in Lesini, Messolonghi, recipient of the Grand Prize of Greek Letters 2024. This will be followed by an introductory lecture by internationally acclaimed author Victoria Hislop, while a particularly special moment will be the presence of Nikos Aliagas, a man who himself embodies the bridge between Messolonghi and the world.

Two Axes, One Story

The scholarly programme is structured around two major thematic strands:

“Messolonghi and Greece” examines the siege and the Exodus as a foundational event in national history and memory, new sources, unknown facets, and their impact on literature, drama, and the arts.

“Messolonghi and the World” opens the horizon further, how the siege shook international public opinion, how it fuelled the philhellenic movement across Europe, how it became a symbol of freedom for peoples who recognised something of their own struggle in Messolonghi.

Among the themes to be explored:

  • New historiographical approaches and previously unknown sources on the siege
  • The impact on diplomacy, military history, and siege tactics
  • The international resonance in public opinion and the press of the era
  • Messolonghi and the resurgence of the philhellenic movement
  • The ethical dimension of sacrifice and self-sacrifice
  • The role of women in the defense and the Exodus
  • Daily life during the siege
  • Sites and rituals of memory — anthropological and ethnographic approaches
  • Literary, visual, musical, theatrical, and cinematic representations across the world
  • Lord Byron in Messolonghi: facets and impact of a myth
  • Digital representations and innovative museological approaches

Beyond the Lecture Halls

The conference is not confined to academic sessions. Delegates will walk through the Garden of Heroes, visit the exhibitions “Exodus 1826–2026” and “Byron and Greece” at Megaro Chrysogelou, and listen to local musical ensembles and the Municipal Philharmonic Orchestra “Christos Kapsalis.” Because Messolonghi is not only studied — it is experienced.

Come speak with Messolonghi.

Messolonghi is waiting for the world. The world has something to learn from Messolonghi.