The Organizing and Academic committees would like to give you a general outline of the activities that include the Academic Programme (student papers and lectures by professors – to be circulated separately) and the Social Activities (receptions, excursions, visits to historic sites, entertainment).
We reserve the right to make changes if necessary and will have a final programme ready for your arrival on 23 May 2022. You will be staying at the LIBERTY Hotel, near the Garden of Heroes (and the Bus Station). Tel: +30 26310 28050.

Please note that due to the constraints of academic and personal schedules, some participants will not be able to attend the entire conference. Accordingly we have grouped the academic sessions tightly on the days when all participants will be in attendance so that even those who are obliged to come late or leave early will experience as fully as possible the evolving conversation on “Byron, Shelley, Philhellenism, and Revolution”. To allow the conference to proceed on schedule, papers (other than the keynote lecture) must not last longer than 20 minutes.

MONDAY 23 May 2022

17:00–18:30 Registration at the administrative office of the Messolonghi Byron Society and its Byron Research Center in the Byron House, with coffee and refreshments; welcome.

18:30–19:30 Visit to the new museum dedicated to Lord Byron and Philhellenism in the Byron House, established by the Messolonghi Byron Society with the support of the Byron Society of America, the Byron Society (London), and individual Byronists (the museum will be open during the conference).

19:30 Visit to the Municipal Museum of History and Municipal Art Gallery with a welcome by the Mayor of Messolonghi, Mr Kostas Liros.

20:30 Dinner at Achontiko restaurant (near the central square).

TUESDAY 24 May 2022
The Academic Programme starts in the Byron House.

10:00–10:30 Welcome Addresses by the President of the Messolonghi Byron Society Rodanthi-Rosa Florou; by Professor Peter Graham, Director of International Relations for the Messolonghi Byron Center; and Professor Roderick Beaton, Director of Hellenic Studies for the Messolonghi Byron Center.

10:30–11:00 Coffee break.

11:00–13:00 Session One of 4 lectures.

13:15-14:15 Visit to the Garden of Heroes, stretching alongside the defensive walls of Messolonghi. A large memorial garden with many monuments dedicated to Greek combatants and to Philhellenes who fought and fell during the siege and the Exodus (sortie) in April 1826. At the center of the Garden of Heroes you will find the grave of Markos Botzaris as well as a statue of Lord Byron, underneath which are buried his lungs.

Lunchtime: free.

17:00-19:00 The Official Ceremony in the Byron House.

• Welcome Address by Professor Naji Oueijan, Joint President of the International Association of Byron Societies.
• Keynote lecture in the Byron House: introduced by Professor Roderick Beaton.
• The keynote lecturer, Professor Stephen Minta (University of York, UK), will speak on “Byron’s final weeks in Greece – the ‘grave side of his face’”.
• Concert for guitar and flute given by the conductor Spyros Cholevas and the flautist Konstantina Chatzigeorgiadou.

19:00–19:30 Coffee break.

20:00 Dinner at Pelada restaurant (port of Messolonghi).

WEDNESDAY 25 MAY 2022
Papers in the Byron House.

10:00–11:30 Session Two of 3 lectures.

11:30–12:00 Coffee break.

12:00–13:30 Session Three of 3 lectures.

Lunchtime and afternoon: free.

20:00–23:30 GALA dinner at the Radio Station Restaurant, with music and Greek traditional dances.

THURSDAY 26 MAY 2022

10:00–10:30 Following Byron’s footsteps in Messolonghi.
Wreath-laying ceremony at the monument newly renovated by the Messolonghi Byron Society, at the site where Byron breathed his last on 19 April 1824, and where the University of Athens dedicated a memorial column to Byron to commemorate the centennial of his death.

10:30–12:00 Visit to “XENOKRATEIO”, the new Archaeological Museum of Messolonghi. The archaeological collections of the museum include more than 1200 objects from all over Aitoloakarnania, which relate to findings of old, but mainly recent excavations. The exhibits range from prehistoric to Roman times (100,000 BC – 3rd century AD). Most of them are on public display for the first time and a large part of them comes from excavations carried out in previous years during the construction of large public works. These include some extremely rare finds.

12:15–13:30 Visit to the SALT museum at Tourlida, the only salt museum in Greece.
In this museum, visitors can learn about everything related to salt, from its first appearance in the world until our own times. The museum is next to Mavri Aliki (black salt mine) of Tourlida.

Lunch at Pelada restaurant (Port of Messolonghi).

Papers in the Byron House

16:30–18:00 Session Four of 3 lectures.

18:00–18:30 Coffee break

18:30–20:00 Session Five of 3 lectures.

Evening free.

FRIDAY 27 MAY 2022

09:30–19:00 Excursion to Preveza, the capital of Preveza Regional Unit. The city of Preveza is located at the mouth of the Ambracian Gulf, in Western Greece. It is an area blessed with beautiful landscapes, green areas, great beaches, a rich history, ancient sites and monuments. We will visit the harbor and the old town with its beautiful traditional buildings, and walk along the seaside pedestrian street with its island-like atmosphere. Preveza was built on the site of the ancient town of Berenike, which was founded by Pyrrhus, the Greek king of Epirus in 290 BC. Preveza was built during the late 11th century, after the later Roman city of Nikopolis had been deserted. It was conquered many times across the centuries, until it became part of Greece in 1912.

Visit to Nikopolis “City of Victory” or Actia Nicopolis was the capital city of the Roman province of Epirus Vetus. It was founded in 29 BC by Octavian, the adopted son of Julius Caesar and soon to become the Emperor Augustus, in commemoration of his victory in 31 BC over Antony and Cleopatra at the naval Battle of Actium fought nearby. It was soon made the major city of the wider region of Epirus. Nikopolis was the first ancient site visited by Byron and Hobhouse after they disembarked at Preveza at the end of September 1809. Many impressive ruins of the ancient city may be visited today. The Museum of Nikopolis is dedicated exclusively to finds from the city. The central theme of the permanent exhibition can summarized in the phrase: One Battle, One City, One Empire.

Lunch at the restaurant Treli Garida, Preveza.

Evening free.

SATURDAY 28 MAY 2022

Last breakfast at the Hotel.

End of the conference.