Noteworthy are the 52 Greek schools that make up the volume of the Egomion School (mid-19th – early 20th centuries from Constantinople to Odessa and Trebizond, from Smyrna to Argyrokastro and Alexandria). This is the result of a trip organized by photographer Maria Stephos through the main centers of Hellenism, the beam of the historical course of Greek education. The material, captivating with its power and evoking a lot of thoughts, is published in a large volume by the AFEA “Egeas”, with photographs constituting a strong legacy of numerous readings.

In 2018, Maria Stefosi made an exhibition about the Aerotheon of Alexandria at the Diplario School in Athens. Since then, a desire for deeper exploration of the cradle of Hellenism has been born, and in 2019 he photographed three major Greek schools in action in Istanbul. Since then, he has devoted himself to the organization of the cartographic project of the Greek schools.

“From the beginning, I wanted to create context,” he says. “The time period I cover is from about 1860 – after the Tanzimat reforms and the possibility of opening schools by the Greek communities – until 1912 and the Balkan Wars.”

Geographically, Maria Stefosi’s study includes urban centers with Hellenistic cores from Alexandria to Odessa and Romania, as well as the entire interior of the Balkans, which after 1913 was divided according to new boundaries. Smyrna and Constantinople naturally occupy a central position, as do Thrace, Macedonia, Epirus, Eastern Romilia, Pontus.

Maria Stephosis characterizes these schools as “mythical”. He approached everything through historical research, “the picture was missing.” I was impressed by her wording: “As a photographer, I wanted their images to be big. I wanted these buildings to be glorified.”

And indeed, the editorial effect is brilliant. With the support of AMKE “Aegea” and the couple Thanasis and Marina Martinou, the collection “Schools of Egomion” presents approximately 52 historical schools of wider Hellenism, as well as an introductory text by Eleni Arveler, a greeting from Isidoros Zurgos and an editorial note by Ilias Cafaoglu.

Geographically, Maria Stephosis’ research covers urban centers with a Hellenistic core from Alexandria to Odessa to Smyrna.

The intention was not to compile an exhaustive list, but to get in touch with the world of ideas and values ​​expressed through schools – incubators of educated citizens. As Eleni Arveler writes, “generations of children passed through the hands of worthy teachers, grateful to them: it was, of course, a time when the teacher, as a performer of the function of spreading virtue, enjoyed the same respect as the priest.” and the school was a people’s temple.

“These schools once had life,” says Maria Stefosi. “They were full of children, they had a daily life. What were these children, what were the views of the children, I tried to catch”… But also teachers, people, purposeful. “They left their homes and set out on a journey to teach devotedly. And how they served this purpose with such holy fury…” This refers to the mythical figures of Calliroi Parren and Calliope Kehagia, who appear as beacons.

photo reconstruction

Maria Stephos organized a project of photographic reconstruction of the great educational idea of ​​the Greeks. It really was a great idea. To educate the Greek population where there were Greeks. Educate girls of the 19th century. As she writes in the introduction: “Young people today grow up in the context of a continuous present without any organic connection to the past. Historical memory must remain alive. In this journey from Constantinople to Odessa and Trebizond, from Smyrna to Argyrokastro and Alexandria, the photographic lens becomes the “author” of this necessity.

The book is woven around photographs and assembled from scraps of memories, short texts, references to people, time gaps in an eternity of shared anger. Where she decided, Maria Stephosis intervened in the photographs, making a kind of collage with the faces of former students.

He arrived in Odessa in October 2021, “shortly before the war,” says Maria Stefosis. “As if I knew… Every school has a story.” Today, the sight of these brilliant buildings inspires awe, their architecture multifacetedly symbolizes the homeland in need of educated citizens.