The Monument to the Unknown Soldier. Α symbol of heroism in Athens

The custom of burial is an integral element of Greek culture. In fact, the public rendering of honor to those who fell defending the integrity and ideals of their homeland was considered a state’s duty since ancient times. During the modern era, several states developed the practice of creating a symbolic grave for the “unknown soldiers”, the nameless dead warriors whose identity could not be identified.

In Greece, the holding of a competition for the construction of such a monument dates back to the beginning of 1926. About two years later, on June 30, 1928, the Legislative Decree was issued “on the construction of a monument to the Unknown Soldier” in the square of the Old Palaces. The location in question was approved as the most appropriate in 1929 by Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos, considering that the Greek Republic was built based on the struggles of countless invisible Greek soldiers.

The unveiling of the monument took place on March 25, 1932, in the presence of a large crowd, officials, and 3,000 men of the Athens Guard. Characteristically, a Turkish envoy laid a wreath during the ceremony, underlining the effort to normalize Greek-Turkish relations promoted by the leaders of the two countries at the time. Soon, the protection of the cenotaph was taken over by a company of the Guard of the President of the Republic, which since 1974 has been called the “Presidential Guard”.

As the surrounding carved plinths emphasize, the monument honors those who lost their lives in the Balkan Wars, the Southern Russia Campaign, the Asia Minor Campaign, the two world wars, as well as the armed operations in Korea and Cyprus. For the value of their action, the engraved inscription from Thucydides’ Epitaph of Pericles is typical: “Ἀνδρῶν ἐπιφανῶν πᾶσα γῆ τάφος”.