Reopening of the Zografeion Lyceum in Istanbul inaugurated

The reopening of the historical Zografeion Lyceum successful Istanbul was officially inaugurated connected Wednesday evening, October 15, 2025, with a blessing ceremonial conducted by His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, marking the completion of the archetypal signifier of renovation and seismic strengthening works connected the building.

Also successful attendance were the Chairman of the Hellenic Bank Association, representatives of the member banks, and officials of the Zografeion Lyceum and the Great Community of Stavrodromi (Beyoğlu). Earlier that day, the Ecumenical Patriarch received the HBA Board astatine the Phanar, expressing his gratitude for their publication to the restoration works and hosting them astatine the Patriarchal luncheon.

In his address, Patriarch Bartholomew praised the accelerated completion of the archetypal signifier of works and the restoration of the gathering to its archetypal form, aft the removal of 2 floors that had been added successful 1962 owed to a emergence successful pupil numbers. The restoration was deemed indispensable for the seismic information of the historical structure.

“We connection praise and acknowledgment to the Almighty God, who blessed and strengthened each who labored for the occurrence of this project,” said His All-Holiness, warmly thanking the Hellenic Bank Association and its president for their generous donation. “This publication is not lone worldly but besides moral, arsenic it demonstrates the surviving interest of its members for our assemblage here.”

He besides expressed gratitude to the Great Benefactor of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Mr. Athanasios Martinos, and the Athanassios and Marina Martinos Foundation for their important support, calling them “worthy successors of the large benefactor Christakis Zografos, who successful 1892–1893 funded the operation of the schoolhouse with 10,000 golden pounds.”

“Today is simply a time of joyousness and pride,” the Patriarch added. “The conflict for the acquisition of our Romiosyne continues, albeit nether antithetic conditions from those of 1893. The Zografeion remains faithful to the rule that acquisition indispensable ever beryllium unfastened to the signs of the times and to the advancement of knowledge.”

€800,000 Donation from the Hellenic Bank Association

The inauguration followed the completion of the archetypal signifier of renovation and seismic reinforcement works, made imaginable by a total donation of €800,000 from each Greek banks that are members of the HBA.
Initially acceptable astatine €500,000, the donation was accrued by an further €300,000 arsenic announced by Gikas Hardouvelis, HBA Chairman and CEO of the National Bank of Greece.

The Greek delegation included:

• George Zanias, Chairman of Eurobank,
• George Taniskidis, Chairman of Optima Bank,
• Vassilis Rapanos, Chairman of the Alpha Bank Cultural Foundation,
• Lazaros Papagaryfallou, Deputy CEO of Alpha Bank,
• Angeliki Bouki, General Manager of Corporate Responsibility astatine Piraeus Bank,
• Stylianos Iliadis, Chief Retail & Digital Officer of CrediaBank,
• and Charoula Apalagaki, Acting General Manager of the HBA.

“The joyousness and emotion we consciousness contiguous astatine this historical schoolhouse acold transcend the fiscal worth of immoderate donation,” said Hardouvelis. “It is an grant for each Greek banks to assistance respire caller beingness into a schoolhouse that stands arsenic a beacon of Education and Culture for 132 years—deeply intertwined with the roots of Hellenism. The Zografeion remains beardown and resilient, and it is our work to enactment it truthful that it continues to animate learning, creativity, and hope.”

“The Zografeion is my home,” says the Headmaster

Yiannis Demirdzoglou, the long-serving headmaster of the Zografeion Lyceum, expressed heartfelt gratitude:

“My emotion and emotion for the Zografeion are immense. This is my home—six years arsenic a student, 5 arsenic a teacher, and thirty-two arsenic headmaster. Of my sixty-five years, forty-three person been wrong these walls. Today, conscionable arsenic successful Christakis Zografos’ time, bankers and benefactors person appeared again with their generous contributions, allowing the Zografeion to proceed its illustrious course. Surely, it was by the volition of the Virgin Mary of Zographeion that the schoolhouse inactive stands, continuing to bring airy to the Greek Orthodox assemblage of the City.”

George Papaliaris, President of the Great Community of Stavrodromi, besides conveyed his “deep gratitude” to each contributors, emphasizing:

“The completion of this signifier marks not the extremity but the opening of a caller cycle. Our extremity is to proceed and implicit the renovation truthful that the Zografeion whitethorn afloat get the signifier and functionality of a modern, competitory school—worthy of the champion successful the country, proving that the Romiosyne deserves and tin execute excellence. This was the precise imaginativeness of those who, astir 150 years ago, dreamed of founding the Zografeion and of its large benefactor, Christakis Zografos: to make a schoolhouse of excellence, values, and Greek Orthodox education.”