| Let us walk now to the east of Plateia Syntagmatos | | | | Duc de Plaisance, a minister under Napoleon and also |
| along Leophoros Vasilissis Sophias for another five | | | | under Louis XVIII. A fervent philhellene, she was one of |
| minutes to another major museum situated on this | | | | the most generous supporters of Greece during the |
| avenue. Directly opposite the corner at the end of the | | | | War of Independence. In 1830 she arrived in Athens |
| National Garden, where the barracks of the Guard of | | | | and devoted much of her time and money to the |
| Evzones now stand, one can distinguish the neo-Doric | | | | education of the daughters of the leaders of the War |
| portico of the BENAKI MUSEUM. Antonios Benakis | | | | of independence. She died in 1854 and was buried on |
| (1873-1954) spent thirty-five years in acquiring rare and | | | | her estate in Penteli. |
| precious objects from all over the world, and | | | | Left of the museum proper, an annex of four rooms |
| personally supervising their installation in his father's | | | | houses a rich collection of icons, including Russian and |
| house. When he converted it into a museum which he | | | | Coptic specimens, from the 14th to 18th centuries. We |
| gave to the Greek people in 1930, he determined to | | | | now enter the museum proper. The Vestibule: this |
| avoid creating, wherever possible, the formal | | | | contains characteristic examples of early Christian art |
| arrangement and impersonal atmosphere of the | | | | from the 4th to 6th centuries. From the Vestibule, we |
| conventional museum, but to preserve the warmth and | | | | turn right into Room I, arranged as a reproduction, on a |
| intimacy of a gracious home, in which the visitor would | | | | reduced scale, of a 5th or 6th century basilica. Room II |
| always be welcome. The rapid growth of the Museum | | | | is devoted to Byzantine sculpture from the 9th to 15th |
| Collections and activities called for the recent | | | | centuries; this room gives on to Room III which |
| enlargement of its buildings, and the radical revision of | | | | reproduces a cruciform church, a type already popular |
| its museological conception. | | | | with architects as early as the 10th century. Room IV, |
| The main building of the Museum displays, in a series | | | | the last on the ground floor, is arranged as a |
| of thirty-six galleries, the historical and cultural | | | | post-Byzantine church, such as existed during the |
| development of Hellenism as it has unfolded in the | | | | Turkish occupation. The decoration is mostly 18th |
| course of many centuries. The exhibits are depicted in | | | | century. |
| chronological order, starting from Prehistoric to Late | | | | The icons exhibited on the upper floor are arranged in |
| Roman period and Byzantine Empire in the ground | | | | chronological order: those in Room I date from the 12th |
| floor, the development of Hellenism under the foreign | | | | to the 16th centuries; in Room II from the 17th century. |
| domination and Ecclesiastical post-byzantine art in the | | | | Rooms III and IV are devoted to minor arts and crafts, |
| first floor, culture, economy and society in the eve of | | | | both Byzantine and post-Byzantine. |
| the War of Independence in the second floor and, | | | | Immediately on turning right from the Byzantine |
| finally, exhibits from the War of Independence up to | | | | Museum, we come to the massive buildings of the |
| the formation of the modern Greek state in the top | | | | NATIONAL WAR MUSEUM. Continuing along |
| floor. | | | | Leophoros Vasilissis Sophias, we pass the church of |
| Continuing our walk along the Avenue for about a | | | | the Rizareios Theological Seminary, founded by |
| hundred meters we turn left into Odhos Neophytou | | | | George Rizaris in 1841; the seminary is now installed in |
| Douka where, on our right, stands the modern building | | | | the suburb of Chalandri. On our left a small public |
| of the MUSEUM OF CYCLADIC AND ANCIENT | | | | garden fronts the Evangelismos Hospital, founded on |
| GREEK ART. The museum, a donation by Ekaterini | | | | the initiative of Queen Olga, consort of George I, in |
| Goulandri and her deceased husband Nicolaos, was | | | | 1881, and first subsidized by her and other |
| built in 1983 and contains their private collection of rare | | | | philanthropists. Today the Evangelismos Hospital is one |
| and precious objects of Cycladic and Ancient Greek | | | | of Greece's largest and most important medical |
| art, enriched by purchases from abroad and donations | | | | centers. |
| by prominent Greek collectors. | | | | We have now arrived opposite the Athens Hilton, to |
| In the museum's ground floor the visitor is first | | | | the right of which stands the entrance-hall and central |
| introduced into the basic principles of the Cycladic | | | | gallery of the NATIONAL PICTURE GALLERY AND |
| civilization and the art and geography of the Cyclades, | | | | ALEXANDER SOUTSOS MUSEUM. At present this is |
| with the aid of maps, drawings and other educational | | | | the only one of the group of spacious ultra-modern |
| material. Here is also in display the Treasure of Keros, | | | | buildings to be completed, consequently a very limited |
| consisting of very important findings dating from the | | | | number of pictures from the National Collection can be |
| third millennium BC which were retrieved from this | | | | exhibited. |
| small Aegean island. | | | | Leaving the Gallery, with the Hilton Hotel on our right, |
| The first floor contains the core of the Cycladic | | | | we cross over into Odhos Gennadiou. Half-way on the |
| collection, which, among others, includes the famous | | | | right of Odhos Gennadiou, is the church of the |
| marble figures typical of this old civilization. In the | | | | seventeenth century Monastery of the Assomati, |
| second floor are on display vases, clay figurines and | | | | commonly known as MONI PETRAKI with splendid |
| bronze items dating from the Archaic to the Classical | | | | frescoes painted in the early 18th century. |
| period of Greek art while in the 4th floor is a very | | | | At the end of the street, on Odhos Suidias, stands the |
| interesting collection of items dating from the | | | | neo-Ionic facade of the GENNADIOS LIBRARY, |
| fourteenth to the sixth century BC, a private donation | | | | administered by the American School of Classical |
| in memory of the late Karolos Politis. | | | | Studies. This graceful edifice was designed by Stuart |
| We re-enter Leophoros Vasilissis Sophias and | | | | Thompson to house the huge library of precious |
| continue our walk along the avenue. At the traffic | | | | books, drawings, engravings etc., donated by loannis |
| lights, on our left, is an elegant neo-classical building, | | | | Gennadios, scholar and diplomat, who was Hellenic |
| recently donated to the Cycladic Museum, which now | | | | Minister at the court of St. James during the reign of |
| accomodates the archaeological findings discovered | | | | Queen Victoria. The Library was erected at the |
| during the construction of the Athens subway. On our | | | | expense of the Carnegie Foundation in 1926. It contains |
| right is the Officers Club and beyond this building is the | | | | more than 40,000 volumes, among which are very |
| BYZANTINE MUSEUM, housing a priceless collection | | | | rare editions of Greek history, literature, and |
| of Byzantine art. | | | | archaeology. Opposite the Library is the American |
| The noted architect Stamatis Cleanthes originally | | | | School of Classical Studies, founded in 1882. Next to |
| designed the attractive buildings composing the | | | | the American School is the British School of |
| museum in 1840 as the town house of the Duchesse | | | | Archaeology, founded four years later. |
| de Plaisance. The Duchess, daughter of Francois de | | | | Further down Odhos Suidias is the MARASLEIOS |
| Marbois, a French diplomat, and his American wife, | | | | PEDAGOGIC ACADEMY, a teachers' training college |
| was born in Philadelphia U.S.A., in 1785. She married the | | | | and high school, founded in 1878 by Grigoris Maraslis. |