The Parthenon and its missing Marbles: A possible reunion?

This amazing Horse is part of the Elgin Marbles exhibited at the British Museum.

The Parthenon without its marble decorations...

Greece recently opened a new mega structure it calls the Acropolis Museum in Athens, located near the historical hill. This new museum seems stunning in every aspect with very modern and well designed halls and corridors with state of the art technology. The obvious purpose is the long term preservation of the priceless findings and artifacts related to the Acropolis.

Bernard Tschumi (a post modern ''decontructivist'' school swiss architect) has done everything to allow light and landscape merge perfectly into the vast and modern museum creating a fabulous ensemble of the old and the new.

The new Acropolis Museum will display plaster copies of the missing Marbles waiting for the return of the originals...

But there is a very famous and most important absentee from all the displayed exhibits: The Parthenon's decorative Elgin Marbles. They were taken away by the British two centuries ago. These series of wonderful marbles consist of roughly of 15 original decorative metopes, 17 pediments from the Parthenon itself as well as a caryatid from adjacent Erechteion along with some other pieces from the temple of Nike and the Propylaia. An incredible collection of original items that were carved around 447 BC and 432 BC under the guidance of master architects Pheidias, Iktinos and Kalliktares. These massive construction works on the Acropolis were undertaken at the time after some serious damage caused by the wars with the Persians. Athens was then rising from its ashes to new and unprecedented heights in world civilisation.

The Elgin marbles Exhibition Hall (British Museum, London)

It is no secret that the main reason behind the palnning and the construction of this new costly museum was to finally have a custom made home for the Elgin marbles. These Marbles were "removed" (stolen may be a more appropriate word) by the British Lord Elgin by around 1812 and eventually "sold" to the British Museum where they are exhibited since 1815.

The removal (i.e.theft) of these masterpieces was done under very dubious circumstances. The British claim they had the approval and the consent of the then Ottoman rulers who had a firm grip on Greece in 19th century. The legend says that the occupying Turkish administrators or military commanders had indeed given their consent to Lord Elgin to practically remove whatever he desired from the Acropolis and take them with him to London. Lord Elgin at the time was the British ambassador to the Sublime Porte (Ottoman Empire), and claimed that he had received an official permission from Istanbul to remove these marbles. This is very difficult to prove and there are no such original documents to prove it!

In any case the removal was a truly shameless robbery by any standard. It must have been a really nice archaeological orgy, a big corrupt party involving two sets of undesired guests of the Greek capital: the Turks and the British! How about breaking in into your neighbour's house and then allowing some distinguished imperialists to come and help themselves to whatever they like!

Naturally Greece has been asking for the return of these marvels since a very long time. Even an "international Association for the Reunification of the Parthenon sculptures" has been established to exert more pressure on London. So far the British have refused any repatriation possibility claiming that these marbles were bought legally and that anyway Greece did not have an appropriate structure or museum to house them in case they are returned to Athens.

Hence the importance of the new Acropolis museum. It is like shouting loud and clear to the British Museum: "Now, we Greeks, we do have an appropriate and custom made house for our Marbles. And they belong to us. Send them back home with no further delay and no more absurd excuses!"

The Elgin Marbles are surely not the only dubiously appropriated artifacts. Museums around the world are full of stolen or illegally appropriated archaeological findings, paintings, jewelery, furniture etc. All major museums and even universities and private collections possess art acquired through suspect transactions and manoeuvres. Military conquests and unauthorized archaeological expeditions by colonial powers have resulted in all sorts of looting or other forms of illegal removal. From China to the Near east, Africa and Meso-America, no ancient culture has remained immune to these practices of unilateral and unauthorized removals by the rich and not so well- intentioned foreign powers and their proxies.

Stunning statues of the Elgin Marbles ''collection" at the British Museum.

How would The Louvre feel like without its "Venus of Milo'', the Hammurabi code stele or the Nike of Samothrace statue? How about Berlin museum without Queen Nefertiti's wonderful bust? Or the Istanbul Archaeological museum without the Qadesh Peace Treaty clay tablet and the Alexander the Great sarcophagus? The New York Metropolitan without the Babylonian or Assyrian treasures? Will the British Museum lose prestige without these Elgin Marbles or the Rosetta stone?

If the British were to return the Elgin Marbles to Greece, they would certainly set a very serious precedent and open a Pandora's box. A bonanza and anarchy for international jurisprudence lawyers and lobbyists will surely follow. Will then Iraq claim back all Sumerian or Babylonian artifacts scattered around the world? Will Turkey demand the return of any object related to the Hittite empire? Will Lebanon and Syria fight over the ownership of every Phoenician object displayed around the globe? The list is endless.

In the meantime and awaiting the potential return of these Elgin Marbles, the Acropolis Museum will adorn these specially built exhibition halls with copies of the Marbles. The Greek authorities hope that one day, maybe one day, they will be able to swap these plaster copies with the originals marbles. Wishful thinking? most probably.

I visited the Acropolis in 1972. I remember being told vaguely about the missing Marbles by our Greek tour guide, but I was too young to fully grasp the issue. It was only some 35 years later in 2007 that I finally had the chance to see them at the British Museum. Making the imaginary link between the Parthenon and its distant decorations was indeed a very interesting mental exercise.



The Parthenon has been waiting for over 200 years for the return of its orphaned crown jewels. I am afraid it may take another 200 years unless common sense prevails on that front in the power corridors of London. Meanwhile, the Acropolis museum will exhibit the plaster copies and pray for a miracle.



But as we all tend to agree, miracles do happen from time to time!!!

© Krikor Tersakian

The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople: A Story of Survival

The Haghia Yorgi (Ste Georges church) of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Fener.

As far as I remember, I was always intrigued by the "Ecumenical" Patriarchate of the Orthodox Church based in Istanbul. So often I would read or hear on the news: ''The Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras today had a meeting with the Pope'' or ''Athenagoras today met with this or that president''.

But who is this enigmatic Patriarch and his Patriarchate? I would always ask. Questions puzzling me at my tender age... To make the matters even more complicated, the Armenian translation of the Patriarchate’s title contains the word ''Diyezeragan'', a vague translation of universal/ ecumenical/Cosmopolitan. hardly an easy job to describe!

Moreover, the Greek word ‘’Ecumenical’’ has always sounded a bit funny to me. The sight of an old and bearded Greek Patriarch residing in Istanbul where there are almost no Greeks left added to the puzzle. Therefore, visiting the Holy See of the Ecumenical Patriarchate was very exciting to me to learn and understand more.

Since the Byzantine Empire and the Ottoman conquerors, this original Orthodox Patriarchate has always been present. When Constantinople became the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, a series of church councils and events elevated New Rome’s (Constantinople) Bishop to its current position of Patriarch. The Fourth Ecumenical council of Chalcedon in 451 A.D. confirmed the Patriarchate as only second in importance to the Bishop (Pope) of Rome. (Note:Chalcedon or today's Kadikoy is situated on the Asian side of the city. Kaghketon in Armenian).

The Great Schism, or the division of the Eastern Orthodox and Latin west in 1054 AD, established the Constantinople Patriarch as de facto leader of the Orthodox Church. Subsequently numerous pan-Orthodox meetings and synods were held under the auspices of the Ecumenical Patriarch. Naturally with the fall of the Byzantine Empire naturally the Patriarchate was greatly weakened remaining under Ottoman rule, and It was literally expelled from the Haghia Sofia by the Ottoman conquerors. The orphaned, unwanted and homeless Patriarchate then wandered from one host church to another for long decades. It finally established in its present location in 1599 AD, 146 years after the conquest. since that date the Church of Saint Georges and the adjacent Patriarchate buildings have since been the headquarters. They are located on a hill on the south shore of the Golden Horn (European side of the city) in the Fener (Phanar) district about 7 km west of Haghia Sofia and the Topkapi. The Phanar district at the time was mostly inhabited by non Turks, mostly Greeks and Jews, and was therefore a rather logical choice.

Despite of all these historical hardships and setbacks, the Ecumenical Patriarchate has always managed to hold on to a great prestige, some real power and considerable moral authority in the Christian church worldwide. After the Ottoman conquest, naturally the Patriarchate lost more and more power and authority to other arising and independent minded rival Patriarchates such as Athens and Moscow. Much maligned, sometimes ridiculed and weakened, but the Ecumenical Patriarchate is still respected as the ''First among equals'', a brilliant formula in order to preserve a semblance of ''peace'' among all the rival Orthodox Patriarchates and their flocks. The relationship with the emerging rival Patriarchates in the Orthodox world has not been easy, but nobody seriously questions Ecumenical Patriarchate's moral authority which is deeply anchored in history and geography.

Pope Benedict XVI, left, and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I at the Ecumenical Patriarchate at the Patriarchate in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2006. The Greek ''East'' meets the Latin "West''.
On the other hand, the relationship of the Patriarchate with the successive Turkish governments has also been consistently tense throughout the ages. It is to be noted that the Turkish authorities recognise the Patriarchate by the minimalist "Patriarchate of Phanar" title, sounding like a mere ''neighbourhood'' institution and not much more. The Turkish government officially does not recognize the wider importance of the Patriarchate, nor does it recognise any of its supposed jurisdictions outside its limited and local territory. The Patriarchate is considered an authority over the very small flock of around 2500 Greeks residing in Istanbul, that is not much more than a simple "Milletbashi", the spiritual leader of a local millet (nation or ethnic group).

The college near the Patriarchate in Fener, Istanbul.

A few decades back the number of Greeks (known as Rum) was well over 150,000. The last wave left when Turkish nationalist mobs attacked, burned and looted hundreds of Greek and other minorities owned businesses, mainly in the Beyoglu-Pera district in September 1956. These sad events are known as the Istanbul Pogroms and were caused by a false accusation of a supposed bombing of Ataturk's birth place house in Thessaloniki, Greece. The Greek community was devastated by these concerted and pre-organised attacks and it never recovered. These barbaric destruction and looting against the Greek community were act of aggression which finally broke the camel's back. Within 20 years after that bloody chapter, the number of Greeks residing in Istanbul had shrunk to a couple of thousands. The rest fled under the constant discrimination and persecution. Nowadays it is jokingly said that "it is easier to find a Giraffe in Paris than a Greek in Istanbul!"

The closed Halki Theological Seminary, Heybeliada island, near Istanbul.

In their comprehensive fight against the Patriarchate, the Turks often point out to the fact that there is no longer a city called Constantinople. Therefore, they say, anyone with the title of 'Patriarch of Constantinople' is the Patriarch of a non- existent city and is redundant! The Turkish government also reputedly insists that any chosen Patriarch must be a Turkish born citizen. This requirement makes the Patriarchal succession matters very difficult, given the very small number of Greeks left in Turkey. On the other hand, Ankara surely realises that there are always limits to the restrictions and difficulties it can impose to such an historical and venerable institution. The backlash from excessive restriction can be unpredictable and strong.

The Turkish authorities also exert other types of direct pressure on the Patriarchate. The closure of the clerical Seminary of Halki is a good and known example. This important Seminary and theological school is situated on the island of Heybeliada. This beautiful Island is part of the Prince Islands. It is also is home to the Turkish Navy's Cadet Academy.

The Halki seminary and theological school is shut down since the 1971s, making the operations and survival of the Patriarchate even more painful. This is a rather cynical move designed to suffocate the Patriarchate at its base: A closed seminary means clergy shortage, which in turn implies very few new potential church leaders and therefore no qualified Turkish-born Greek Patriarch in the future for the throne. Therefore if the regulations are not changed, it will be very difficult to find a Turkish born Greek ascending to the Patriarchal throne, unless these series of restrictive rules are scrapped or modified by the government.

This ongoing thorny issue of Halki seminary's forced closure was recently raised in Turkey by the visiting president Barack Obama without immediate positive results. In 1999 president Clinton had personally visited the seminary, again urging for the immediate reopening of this very essential theological school. It is to be noted that Halki was initially closed on the grounds that according to the law, all higher educational schools and universities in Turkey must be part of State Universities system or be closed. This is another ''convenient'' law to further squeeze the minorities and their particular needs just to be able to survive.

My much anticipated visit to the Patriarchate went as planned. First, I visited the world famous St. Chora (Kariye camii) byzantine church and its incomparable mosaics. After a thirty minutes walk through the conservative Muslim neighbourhoods of Balat and Phanar (Fener), I noticed a street vendor selling hundreds of Christian Icons and modern day productions of Orthodox faith artifacts on a mobile cart. That was a sure sign I was very close to the Patriarchate! Where else street vendors would sell Greek Icons and Orthodox souvenirs?

The mandatory huge Turkish flag over the Patriarchate complex was disproportionate in size and a clear reminder that who is really in charge around. I entered the complex through the left side door of the main forged iron gate. The central portion of the main gate is shut 365 days per year and is unusable. Actually, they say it is welded in order to commemorate Patriarch Gregory V, who was deposed and hanged in that central gate of the Patriarchate when the Greek War of Independence broke out in 1821. Gregory V was charged for treason against the Ottoman Empire for siding with the Greeks in their revolt. He was hanged right there at the entrance of his Patriarchate. He was succeeded by Patriarch Eugenius II, who was himself a prisoner of the Ottomans at time of his election as the new Patriarch!

To the left stands the Patriarchal church St George, officially known as Holy Great Martyr Saint George Tropaioforos. The church is a basilica with three aisles. It is by no means very impressive but it does contain some original relics dating from the early days of the Byzantine church like the Throne of the Patriarch, the marble Synthronon marble throne behind the altar table, the very decorative historical Chanters’ stands and a very interesting elevated pulpit. Various icons of great importance and other beautiful relics fill the church.

During my short visit, the church was almost empty except for the hyperactive cleaning man, always suspiciously checking my movements while doing his work. The church and the adjoining buildings are not necessarily very impressive but are very well maintained, freshly painted clean and inviting. At the entrance of the church colour brochures about the Patriarchate are there for free distribution along with small yellow taper shaped candles. The pictures in the brochures are nice, the information is very selective and manicured not to offend anyone. The featured Patriarch Demetrius I, prominently on the cover of the booklet, is dead long time ago, in 1991. I guess this is why these very old and redundant brochures were free. The incumbent Patriarch is of course Bartholomew I. But who will succeed him? And how? Very open questions indeed...

During my visit I was practically alone in the church for a while, feeling the full weight of centuries of history in this uniquely important place. From Haghia Sofia to this modest church and into an unclear future, if only these walls could tell their story about all these centuries of hardship and daily struggle for survival.

After a while a few Russian tourists made their appearance and disturbed the peace with their noisy picture taking antics. I lit a candle, said a little prayer for all my loved ones and I headed back to the main gate with that famously welded central door. I left the Ecumenical Patriarchate and headed to the Golden Horn shore on my way back to picturesque and trendy Ortakoy by the Bosporus. I left the Patriarchate, but the very rich, tragic history and the mostly uncertain future of that Institution still fascinate and somehow haunt me.

© Krikor Tersakian 2009