March 25, 2026
The Mount Athos Center’s exhibition of painting by the artist Giorgos Taxidis entitled ‘Mount Athos: Land of Silence’ was officially opened on Wednesday 25 March 2026 at the Sismanoglio Megaro of the General Consulate of Greece in Istanbul with great splendour and in a spirit of deep national pride.
The exhibition forms part of the programme of events being organised by the Greek Consulate for the dual celebration of the feast of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary and the national holiday commemorating the beginning of the Greek War of Independence on 25 March 1821.
The event was honoured by the presence of His All-Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and began with the singing of the hymn Te Hypermacho Stratego by all assembled.
his was followed by a talk by the General Consul of Greece in Istanbul Ambassador Constantine Koutras, who stated that the 25th of March was a day of national unity and pride, on which Greeks all over the world honour the liberty and independence of their motherland and remember those who fought and gave their lives for these lofty ideals on which Greece was founded. With regard to the exhibition, the Ambassador pointed out that Giorgos Taxidis’ works are not merely a record of the places and scenes of everyday life that he experienced on Mount Athos; they constitute a dialogue with the spiritual life and quests of an artist whose fresh gaze serves to illuminate life in the Athonite state, enabling the viewer to share the experience of a place where silence is wholeness and light a guide for the soul.
Following this talk, the director of the Mount Athos Center, Mr. Anastasios Douros, conveyed the greetings of the Mayor of Thessaloniki and President of the Center’s Board of Directors, Mr. Stelios Angeloudis, and went on to talk about the work of the Mount Athos Center and its five-year collaboration with Giorgos Taxidis that led to the exhibition. Mr. Douros also thanked the Ecumenical Patriarch for graciously attending the opening ceremony, and for the love and support he has shown for the Center’s work ever since it was founded. He also expressed his warm thanks to the Ambassador for honouring the Center with his assistance in organising the exhibition, and congratulated him on the important work he was carrying out in Istanbul by promoting Greek culture through the numerous high-quality events organised at the Sismanoglio Megaro.
For his part, Giorgos Taxidis spoke about his collaboration with the Mount Athos Center, and thanked Mr. Koutras for hosting the exhibition. With regard to the exhibition itself, he stated the following: ‘What you see is not a representation of Mount Athos; it is a record of my own personal experience. Man, as an image, is absent, and his presence is felt only through his absence – as something that makes its presence felt either by appearing to be there without being seen or by giving the impression of just having left. The person missing from the pictures is the viewer who wanders silently in search of the Holy Mountain, whether they are aware of it or not’.
An unexpected and pleasant surprise at the event was the appearance of the internationally renowned artist Evanthia Reboutsika, who had been invited by the General Consul to enliven the national holiday celebrations with her music, and her performance on the violin certainly gave the evening a special flavour.
The opening ceremony was followed by a guided tour of the exhibition, in which His All-Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch was shown round by Mr. Douros and the artist himself.
The event was attended by prelates of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Dean of the Theology Faculty of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Protopresbyter Athanasios Gikas, the Board of the Association of Greek Community Foundations (SYRKI), directors and teachers of Greek community schools, Greek entrepreneurs, representatives of the Greek media, members of the diaspora and many others.
Programme curator: Anastasios Douros
Exhibition venue: Sismanoglio Megaro, Istiklal Cad. no 60
34433, Istanbul Galatasaray-Beyoglu, +90 2122449335
Duration of exhibition: 26 March – 16 April 2026
Opening hours: 12:00-16:00 daily
mfa.gr/turkey/sismanogleiomegaro
agioritikiestia.gr
The event was honoured by the presence of His All-Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and began with the singing of the hymn Te Hypermacho Stratego by all assembled.
View the embedded image gallery online at:
https://www.agioritikiestia.gr/en/opening-of-exhibition-of-painting-by-giorgos-taxidis-mount-athos-land-of-silence-in-istanbul#sigProId4d0af4c8de
https://www.agioritikiestia.gr/en/opening-of-exhibition-of-painting-by-giorgos-taxidis-mount-athos-land-of-silence-in-istanbul#sigProId4d0af4c8de
his was followed by a talk by the General Consul of Greece in Istanbul Ambassador Constantine Koutras, who stated that the 25th of March was a day of national unity and pride, on which Greeks all over the world honour the liberty and independence of their motherland and remember those who fought and gave their lives for these lofty ideals on which Greece was founded. With regard to the exhibition, the Ambassador pointed out that Giorgos Taxidis’ works are not merely a record of the places and scenes of everyday life that he experienced on Mount Athos; they constitute a dialogue with the spiritual life and quests of an artist whose fresh gaze serves to illuminate life in the Athonite state, enabling the viewer to share the experience of a place where silence is wholeness and light a guide for the soul.
View the embedded image gallery online at:
https://www.agioritikiestia.gr/en/opening-of-exhibition-of-painting-by-giorgos-taxidis-mount-athos-land-of-silence-in-istanbul#sigProIdbd077b4780
https://www.agioritikiestia.gr/en/opening-of-exhibition-of-painting-by-giorgos-taxidis-mount-athos-land-of-silence-in-istanbul#sigProIdbd077b4780
Following this talk, the director of the Mount Athos Center, Mr. Anastasios Douros, conveyed the greetings of the Mayor of Thessaloniki and President of the Center’s Board of Directors, Mr. Stelios Angeloudis, and went on to talk about the work of the Mount Athos Center and its five-year collaboration with Giorgos Taxidis that led to the exhibition. Mr. Douros also thanked the Ecumenical Patriarch for graciously attending the opening ceremony, and for the love and support he has shown for the Center’s work ever since it was founded. He also expressed his warm thanks to the Ambassador for honouring the Center with his assistance in organising the exhibition, and congratulated him on the important work he was carrying out in Istanbul by promoting Greek culture through the numerous high-quality events organised at the Sismanoglio Megaro.
For his part, Giorgos Taxidis spoke about his collaboration with the Mount Athos Center, and thanked Mr. Koutras for hosting the exhibition. With regard to the exhibition itself, he stated the following: ‘What you see is not a representation of Mount Athos; it is a record of my own personal experience. Man, as an image, is absent, and his presence is felt only through his absence – as something that makes its presence felt either by appearing to be there without being seen or by giving the impression of just having left. The person missing from the pictures is the viewer who wanders silently in search of the Holy Mountain, whether they are aware of it or not’.
An unexpected and pleasant surprise at the event was the appearance of the internationally renowned artist Evanthia Reboutsika, who had been invited by the General Consul to enliven the national holiday celebrations with her music, and her performance on the violin certainly gave the evening a special flavour.
View the embedded image gallery online at:
https://www.agioritikiestia.gr/en/opening-of-exhibition-of-painting-by-giorgos-taxidis-mount-athos-land-of-silence-in-istanbul#sigProId735a8b3855
https://www.agioritikiestia.gr/en/opening-of-exhibition-of-painting-by-giorgos-taxidis-mount-athos-land-of-silence-in-istanbul#sigProId735a8b3855
The opening ceremony was followed by a guided tour of the exhibition, in which His All-Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch was shown round by Mr. Douros and the artist himself.
The event was attended by prelates of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Dean of the Theology Faculty of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Protopresbyter Athanasios Gikas, the Board of the Association of Greek Community Foundations (SYRKI), directors and teachers of Greek community schools, Greek entrepreneurs, representatives of the Greek media, members of the diaspora and many others.
Programme curator: Anastasios Douros
Exhibition venue: Sismanoglio Megaro, Istiklal Cad. no 60
34433, Istanbul Galatasaray-Beyoglu, +90 2122449335
Duration of exhibition: 26 March – 16 April 2026
Opening hours: 12:00-16:00 daily
mfa.gr/turkey/sismanogleiomegaro
agioritikiestia.gr
