Unveiling Ceremony of the Monument to the Fallen Ambliánites, Garden of Heroes – Messolonghi, 8 March 2026

The Ambliánites, originating from Ambliani in Evrytania and maintaining a dual presence between the mountainous regions and the plains of Western Greece in the context of nomadic pastoralism, belong to the communities that took an active part in the siege and the Exodus of Messolonghi, yet have not, until today, received commemorative recognition. The erection of a votive stele in the historic Garden of Heroes seeks to fill this gap.

On Sunday, 8 March 2026, in the Sacred City of Messolonghi, the unveiling ceremony of the Monument to the Fallen Ambliánites took place, as part of the commemorative events marking the bicentenary of the Exodus.

The initiative seeks to honor the Exodite fighters from Ambliani who fell in battle on the night of 10 April 1826, contributing through their self-sacrifice to one of the defining events of the Greek War of Independence. The monument bears the names of the fallen Ambliánites, thereby lending specific weight to a participation that had, until now, remained in the half-light.

The event was organized by the Municipality of the Sacred City of Messolonghi in collaboration with the Committee for the Promotion of the History of Ambliani. The work, conceived in the form of a stele, was created by the sculptor Vasilis Papasaikas and follows a restrained, austere line, free of narrative excess. This choice responds to the setting of the Garden of Heroes, where emphasis shifts from form to content. The inscription of the names functions as the central axis of the monument, restoring the individual within the collective, while the reference to the Unknown Ambliánite embraces also those who could not be identified with certainty.

The request for funding the project was submitted to AIGEAS AMKE by the Initiative Committee for the Promotion of the History of Ambliani and was implemented through the Association of Ambliánites Worldwide “Agia Paraskevi.” What follows is the ceremonial address delivered by the Ambliánite Giorgos Sarris at the unveiling of the monument, outlining in brief the historical presence of the Ambliánites in Messolonghi and the significance of the monument today.