The anniversary of 90 years since the death of Eleftherios Venizelos was commemorated with great solemnity in the capital of the United States, as part of the activities organized by the World Council of Cretans for the national leader.
The events began on Thursday, May 7, in front of the historic statue of Freytherios Venizelos, which stands outside the Greek embassy in Washington. The work belongs to the great sculptor Giannis Pappas and is one of the most famous sculptures created in honor of the great politician.
The Ambassador of Greece to the United States, Antonis Alexandridis, as well as the President of the World Council of Cretans and President of the Branch of the Foundation for Studies and Research “Eleftherios K. Venizelos”, Nikolaos Kastrinakis.
As noted by Mr. Kastrinakis, “The wreath was placed on the statue of Eleftherios Venizelos, a work of the great sculptor Yannis Pappas, who created numerous statues of Venizelos throughout Greece, of particular artistic and historical value.”
At the same time, he recalled that this statue is a smaller-scale version of the statue in the Park of Eleftheria in Athens, near the American Embassy, while the only identical copy is housed in the Benaki Museum. He also said that the work was restored in 2024 at the initiative of the Branch.
The ceremony was attended by Greece’s consul in Washington, D.C., Michalis Skopelitis, the defense attachés of the Greek Armed Forces, representatives of the Pagretan Union of America, as well as members of the Greek community.
